Orig. a box or chest; also a *reliquary with a tomb or special box-like container. Harold Godwineson is to be seen on the *Bayeux tapestry swearing an oath to William, duke of Normandy, with his hand on just such a reliquary. Later a shrine became an elaborate tomb and place of worship if that of a saint, e.g. St Thomas Becket.
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.