Haven

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈheɪvən/

Definitions

1. A place that offers safety or shelter from danger ; a sheltered area where ships can anchor safely
2. A refuge providing protection and security ; a port or harbor offering safe anchorage for vessels
3. A location offering protection and safety from harm ; a calm harbor used to shelter boats from rough waters

Etymology: The word started as a sailor's word for a body of water, not a refuge. Old English "hæfen" meant a harbour or port, the place where ships rode out the weather. Its deeper root is a Proto-Germanic word for the sea, which may have described the heaving, lifting motion of the waves, and the same root gave Old Norse "haf," meaning the open sea. Over time, a place where ships could safely anchor came to stand for any place of safety. A sheltered harbour protected vessels from storms, and the image of coming into harbour after rough water carried over naturally into the idea of finding shelter from trouble. The word is a doublet of "abra," which descends from the same ancient stock and reached English by a different route.

Synonyms: refuge, sanctuary, shelter, harbor, asylum

Antonyms: danger, threat, risk, peril, hazard