holy of holies

noun

1. a place of special sacredness.

2. the innermost chamber of the Biblical tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem, in which the ark of the covenant was kept.

3. Eastern Church.,  the bema.

holy of holies

noun

1. any place of special sanctity

2. (capitals) the innermost compartment of the Jewish tabernacle, and later of the Temple, where the Ark was enshrined

Word History and Origins

Origin of holy of holies¹

1350–1400; Middle English, translation of Late Latin sanctum sanctōrum (Vulgate), translation of Greek tò hágion tôn hagíōn, itself translation of Hebrew qōdesh haqqodāshīm

Idioms and Phrases

A place of awe or sacredness, as in The corporate board room is the holy of holies here. This expression is a translation of the Hebrew term for the sanctuary inside the tabernacle of the Temple of Jerusalem, where the sacred Ark of the Covenant was kept (Exodus 26:34). Its figurative use dates from the second half of the 1800s.