asylum
UK[əˈsaɪ.ləm]US[əˈsaɪ.ləm]
n
protection given by a government to someone who has left their own country, usually because they were in danger for political reasons
n
(old-fashioned) a hospital where people who were mentally ill could be cared for, often for a long time
Morpheme Breakdown
a
sylum
a
without
sylum
right of seizure
Etymology
The word "asylum" originates from the Greek asylon, meaning "refuge" or "inviolable sanctuary." This term is composed of the negative prefix a- ("without") and sylon ("right of seizure"), literally denoting a place "without the right of seizure" where one was safe from arrest or violence. It entered Latin as asylum with the same meaning of a secure haven. The term's journey into English preserved this core idea of a protected refuge, which first applied to sacred places and was later extended to institutions offering safety, such as sanctuaries for the politically persecuted and, historically, for the mentally ill.
Analysis
Structure: a (without) + sylum (right of seizure)
a- (Greek prefix meaning "without, not"); sylum (from Greek asylon, meaning "refuge, sanctuary," itself from sylon meaning "right of seizure").
Examples
the journalist sought asylum in a foreign embassy after receiving death threats.
the country has a strict policy for granting political asylum.
in the 19th century, many people with mental health conditions were confined to an asylum.