ancient shrine
1
7.0
- noun
:
santuario antiguo
- The Islamists set about destroying tombs, monuments, ancient shrines, and other historical treasures believed incompatible with their fiercely conservative version of the faith.
Examples
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Some members still gather to celebrate their traditions at ancient shrines along the river.
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Julia knew for certain that once drawn to the grove, George Stoneham had discovered that it contained one of the twelve portals to an ancient shrine.
Fiction book (2002) -
Pilgrims came from all over Arabia to worship at an ancient shrine in the heart of the city.
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The archaeologists carefully excavated the ground around the ancient shrine, revealing artifacts from another era.
Synonyms
365
3.4
A building where people go to worship a god, for example in Hindu or ancient Greek religions
126
4.1
A holy place where people go to pray and honor a saint or sacred object
15
6.7
A tall Asian temple with many levels and curved roofs
14
3.5
A place where people go to pray, like a temple or church
14
2.9
A place where people meet to pray or have religious services
4
4.4
A very old building used for religious worship that is important for history
1
9.9
A temple or holy building from ancient times
How Old
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a historical place of worship that dates back to ancient times' is directly and literally built from 'ancient' (pertaining to antiquity) and 'shrine' (a holy or sacred place). This straightforward compositional meaning follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand the phrase.
Etymology
Ancient shrine puts together ancient and shrine, where ancient means very old and shrine is a small holy place where people leave gifts. So the phrase paints a simple picture of a very old spot used for worship, and that's why it means 'a very old place of worship' today.