shelter
SHEL-ter
/ˈʃel.tər/
A structure that provides privacy and protection from danger or bad weather; or to protect or give protection to someone.
Can refer both to physical physical structures (emergency shelters) and the conceptual act of protecting someone from harm.
The story behind the word. The word traces back to Old English 'scildtruma', a military phrase combining 'scild' (shield) and 'truma' (band of soldiers). A shield-troop was a dense defensive wall formed by soldiers overlapping their shields. Over centuries, the meaning softened from a literal human shield formation into any protective physical roof or refuge.
Word relationships
- refuge: 'Refuge' carries a stronger poetic or psychological connotation of safety from pursuit or distress.
- cover: 'Cover' often means tactical physical obstruction against gunfire or rain rather than a habitational structure.
- exposure: 'Exposure' means being unprotected from severe elements or danger.
Commonly confused with
- shield: A shield stops an incoming blow; a shelter provides an enclosed space where you can stay safe.
Word family
- unsheltered (adjective): Not having protection from elements or lacking a home.
Collocations
- emergency shelter
- seek shelter
- shelter in place
- provide shelter
Idioms & expressions
- shelter from the storm
Example sentences
- "Volunteers set up an emergency shelter in the high school gymnasium to accommodate families displaced by the storm." Emergency humanitarian response
- "Residents were advised to shelter in place until the severe hurricane passed over the county." Severe weather instructions
Memory hook
A SHELL around a TURtle gives it a safe SHELter. A shield wall that became a roof.
When not to use
Do not confuse with permanent home ownership; shelter usually implies basic physical protection or emergency accommodation.
Fun facts
- The military origin of 'shelter' as a shield-wall was largely forgotten by the 16th century when it came to mean any shed or roof.
Explore more words
Also appears in
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.