asylum
part of speech
noun (asylum, uncountable — protection; an asylum, asylums — an old kind of hospital)
meaning for a pupil
1) Asylum is safety and protection that a country gives to people who have run away from danger, war or unfair punishment in their own country. tree →
2) Someone «seeking asylum» is asking another country to let them stay safely; they are called an asylum seeker. tree →
3) (old-fashioned) An asylum was a large old hospital for people with serious mental illness; this word is not used for hospitals today. tree →
sense in the lessons
In citizenship and current-affairs lessons, asylum is about refugees and human rights: countries have agreed that people in real danger may ask for protection. In history lessons, old asylums show how badly mentally ill people were sometimes treated in the past. In stories, a spooky old asylum is a common but unkind cliché. Phrases: «seek asylum», «claim asylum», «grant asylum», «asylum seeker».
examples
- The family fled the war and asked for asylum in Canada. tree →
- The country granted her asylum because her life was in danger. tree →
- Asylum seekers wait for a decision on whether they can stay. tree →
- Our school welcomed a boy whose family had been given asylum. tree →
- In the past, people with mental illness were sometimes locked in asylums. tree →
- He sought asylum at an embassy. tree →
- Asking for asylum is a legal right under international law. tree →
note
Uncountable for protection (give asylum, not «an asylum»). Countable for the old hospital. An asylum seeker is someone asking for protection; a refugee is someone recognised as needing it. Calling a hospital «an asylum» today is outdated and can be hurtful.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «asylum» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.