Haven
[HAY-vən]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Old English, pre-12th century
1.
A place of safety or refuge.
2.
An inlet providing shelter for ships or boats; a harbor or small port.
Examples of Haven in a sentence
"I know that I will always have a haven at my grandmother's house."
"We need to reach the haven before the storm hits."
About Haven
The original Old Norse meaning applied to a harbor or small port where boats would be safe. This feeling of security meant that "haven" was used to describe any sort of safe place or sanctuary,
Did you Know?
When an English word doesn't have Latin or Greek roots, we can usually trace it to Anglo-Saxon origins. In Old Norse, we have "hǫfn" and in Late Old English, it is "hæfen." The feeling of safety and security is the same in English and Dutch with "haven," and in German, "Hafen" means harbor.
