holy of holies
a place of special sacredness.
the innermost chamber of the Biblical tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem, in which the ark of the covenant was kept.
Eastern Church. the bema.
Origin of holy of holies
1Words Nearby holy of holies
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use holy of holies in a sentence
I made no reply, for I feared that she would live to regret having created that scene in the monk's holy-of-holies.
The Minister of Evil | William Le QueuxIf you know your business, you are struck with awe on being in this holy-of-holies.
The Church of St. Bunco | Gordon ClarkOnly a chosen few had ever set foot within the holy-of-holies; this young man was not one of them.
Warrior of the Dawn | Howard Carleton BrowneEnglishmen had been to Lhassa and to Tashi-lunpo; therefore, both of their holy-of-holies had been profaned.
Caravans By Night | Harry Hervey
British Dictionary definitions for holy of holies
any place of special sanctity
(capitals) the innermost compartment of the Jewish tabernacle, and later of the Temple, where the Ark was enshrined
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with holy of holies
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.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse