anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape.
verb (used with object), refuged, refuging.
4.
Archaic. to afford refuge to.
verb (used without object), refuged, refuging.
5.
Archaic. to take refuge.
Origin
1350-1400;Middle English < Middle French < Latinrefugium, equivalent to refug(ere) to turn and flee, run away (re-re- + fugere to flee; see fugitive) + -ium-ium
Science was his refuge, a place of order and stability that could not fail him.
For some it's a refuge, for some a shady place to fall down.
Contact the refuge for specific seasonal volunteer needs.
Bald eagles and other raptors also live on the refuge.
They found more refuge among the people who shared their religious affiliation.
It must have been a refuge from her otherwise crowded life.
Snarling remains the refuge for those who lack the energy or courage to do something really original or dastardly.
Unfortunately, college is no refuge from the ugliness that permeates our society.
Precisely how the insects find their way to this refuge has long eluded biologists.
But national parks and other areas protected from pollution and development are providing no refuge.
British Dictionary definitions for refuge
refuge
/ˈrɛfjuːdʒ/
noun
1.
shelter or protection, as from the weather or danger
2.
any place, person, action, or thing that offers or appears to offer protection, help, or relief: accused of incompetence, he took refuge in lying
3.
another name for traffic island
verb
4.
(archaic) to take refuge or give refuge to
Word Origin
C14: via Old French from Latin refugium, from refugere to flee away, from re- + fugere to escape
Word Origin and History for refuge
n.
"shelter or protection from danger or distress," late 14c., from Old French refuge "hiding place" (12c.), from Latin refugium "a taking refuge; place to flee back to," from re- "back" (see re-) + fugere "to flee" (see fugitive) + -ium "place for."