sanctum

[ sangk-tuh m ]

/ ˈsæŋk təm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sanctum ON THESAURUS.COM

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, sanctum sanctorum, sanctus, sanctus bell, sanctus turret, sand

Origin of sanctum

1570–80; noun use of neuter of Latin sānctus; see Sanctus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sanctum

One afternoon the superintendent stopped his car at the Junction and called the little man into his sanctum.
Nancy McVeigh of the Monk Road|R. Henry Mainer
"I hope I am not interrupting you," he said, as he entered the sanctum.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 98, 1890.05.10|Various
Error has no hobby, however boldly ridden or brilliantly caparisoned, that can leap into the sanctum of Christian Science.
No and Yes|Mary Baker Eddy
When Baalim was left in charge of Dr Tom's sanctum no man dare enter it.
Settling Day|Nat Gould

But he let me pass, and I ascended one of the profane lateral stairways and treated myself to a glimpse of the Sanctum Sanctorum.
Italian Hours|Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for sanctum

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012