Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Refuge

Refuge (r?f"?j) , noun

[French réfuge, Latin refugium, from refugere to flee back; pref. re- + figere. SEe Fugitive.]

1.
Shelter or protection from danger or distress.
Rocks, dens, and caves! But I in none of these Find place or refuge. — Milton
We might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us. — Heb. vi. 18
2.
That which shelters or protects from danger, or from distress or calamity; a stronghold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; a place inaccessible to an enemy.
The high hills are a refuger the wild goats. — Bible (KJV) - Psalm civ. 18
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed. — Bible (KJV) - Psalm ix. 9
3.
An expedient to secure protection or defense; a device or contrivance.
Their latest refuge Was to send him. — Shakespeare
Light must be supplied, among gracefulrefuges, by terracing {not transcribed} story in danger of darkness. — Sir H. Wotton
Collocations (2)
Cities of refuge (Jewish Antiquities) , certain cities appointed as places of safe refuge for persons who had committed homicide without design. Of these there were three on each side of Jordan. — Josh. xx
House of refuge , a charitable institution for giving shelter and protection to the homeless, destitute, or tempted.

Refuge (r?f"?j) , transitive verb

To shelter; to protect. [Obsolete]