Refuges

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Areas or structures that provide safety and shelter from danger or distress
2. Locations used to offer protection and a secure retreat from threats or hardship
3. Spaces designed to serve as safe havens where individuals can seek refuge and avoid harm

Etymology: "Refuges" is simply the plural of "refuge," so its history is that of the singular noun. The root lies in the Latin verb "fugere," meaning to flee, combined with the prefix "re-," which gives the sense of fleeing back or away. From this came the Latin noun "refugium," a place to which one retreats for shelter or safety. That Latin noun passed into Old French as "refuge," and from there into Middle English, where it kept its original picture of a person running to a secure place. English also took the Latin form directly, which is why "refugium" survives as a doublet of "refuge": the same word arriving twice by different routes, once worn down through French and once kept closer to its Latin shape.