Link Centre Dictionary

shelter

shel·ter

UK/ˈʃɛltə/ US/ˈʃʰɛltʰə/ common
noun (5) verb (2)

noun

1.

a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger

2.

protective covering that provides protection from the weather

3.

the condition of being protected

  • “they were huddled together for protection”
  • “he enjoyed a sense of peace and protection in his new home”
Synonyms
4.

a way of organizing business to reduce the taxes it must pay on current earnings

Synonyms
5.

temporary housing for homeless or displaced persons

verb

1.

provide shelter for

  • “After the earthquake, the government could not provide shelter for the thousands of homeless people”
2.

invest (money) so that it is not taxable

Origin

From Middle English sheltron, sheldtrume (“roof or wall formed by locked shields”), from Old English sċildtruma, sċyldtruma (“a phalanx, company (of troops), a tortoise, a covering, shed, shelter”, literally “shield-troop”), from sċyld, sċield (“shield”) + truma (“a troop of soldiers”). Cognate with Scots schilthrum, schiltrum. More at shield, and Old English trymman (“to strengthen”), from trum (“strong, firm”) at trim. Doublet of sheltron (a kind of military formation), which is the more conservative of the two.

Phrases

  • Adirondack shelter
  • air-raid shelter
  • Anderson shelter
  • animal shelter
  • bomb shelter
  • bus shelter
  • cooling shelter
  • fallout shelter

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.