1. A sanctuary, or place of refuge and protection, where criminals and debtors found shelter, and from which they could not be taken without sacrilege. State v. Bacon, 6 Neb. 291; Cromie v. Institution of Mercy, 3 Bush (Ivy.) 391. 2. Shelter; refuge; protection from the hand of justice. The word includes not only place, but also shelter, security, protection; and a fugitive from justice, who has committed a crime in a foreign country, “seeks an asylum” at all times when he claims the use of the territories of the United States . In re De Giacomo, 12 Blatchf. 395, Fed. Cas. No. 3,747. 3. An institution for the protection and relief of unfortunates, as asylums for the poor, for the deaf and dumb , or for the insane. Lawrence v. Leidigh, 58 Kan. 594, 50 Pac. 600, 62 Am. St Rep. 631.
Black’s Law Online Dictionary
