penetralia

American  

[pen-i-trey-lee-uh] / ˌpɛn ɪˈtreɪ li ə /

plural noun

1. the innermost parts or recesses of a place or thing.

2. the most private or secret things.

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penetralia British  

/ ˌpɛnɪˈtreɪlɪə /

plural noun

1. the innermost parts

2. secret matters

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Other Word Forms

• penetralian adjective

Etymology

Origin of penetralia

First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin, noun use of neuter plural of penetrālis “inner,” equivalent to penetr(āre) “to penetrate ” + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

Like Kahn’s buildings, too, Lesser’s book has its penetralia, core elements to which one is only gradually led.

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2017

The book is littered with show-off phrases such as "alembicated piety" and "the penetralia of one's self-regard."

From Time Magazine Archive

That ended it, and he was no nearer the penetralia of car Naught-fifty than before.

From A Romance in Transit by Lynde, Francis

Those who knew him well understood that beneath the layer of ice there was a warm, considerate, tender heart for those whom he admitted to the penetralia of his intimacy.

From Makers of Modern Medicine by Walsh, James J. (James Joseph)

Even that penetralia, the 'Omnibus,' can not compare with the unwalled room outside, with its star-gemmed ceiling, and the cool breeze eddying away the segar-smoke; so its usual occupants are all outside.

From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2 No 4, October, 1862 Devoted To Literature And National Policy by Various