sanctum
[ sangk-tuh m ]
/ ˈsæŋk təm /
|
noun, plural sanc·tums, sanc·ta [sangk-tuh] /ˈsæŋk tə/.
a sacred or holy place.
an inviolably private place or retreat.
Nearby words
- sanctitude,
- sanctity,
- sanctuary,
- sanctuary city,
- sanctuary lamp,
- sanctum sanctorum,
- sanctus,
- sanctus bell,
- sanctus turret,
- sand
Origin of sanctum
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for sancta
sanctum
/ (ˈsæŋktəm) /
noun plural -tums or -ta (-tə)
a sacred or holy place
a room or place of total privacy or inviolability
Word Origin for sanctum
C16: from Latin, from sanctus holy
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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sanctum
1570s, "holy place of the Jewish tabernacle," from Latin sanctum "a holy place," as in Late Latin sanctum sanctorum "holy of holies" (translating Greek to hagion ton hagion, translating Hebrew qodesh haqqodashim), from neuter of sanctus "holy" (see saint (n.)). In English, sanctum sanctorum attested from c.1400; in sense of "a person's private retreat" from 1706.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper