sanctum

[sangk-tuh m]

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noun, plural sanc·tums, sanc·ta [sangk-tuh] /ˈsæŋk tə/.

a sacred or holy place.

an inviolably private place or retreat.

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

Related Words for sanctum

altar, shrine, temple, chancel, sacrarium

Examples from the Web for sanctum

Historical Examples of sanctum

As soon as Pierre was alone in the Cardinal's sanctum he examined it with curiosity.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
I summon my companion, who joins me, and we enter our sanctum.
The Pearl of the Antilles, or An Artist in Cuba
Walter Goodman
"So this is her sanctum," thinks her husband, glancing around.
Molly Bawn
Margaret Wolfe Hamilton
I then called on Wendell Phillips in his sanctum for the same purpose.
Susan B. Anthony
Alma Lutz
In the sanctum was Devi, a large black figure with ten arms.
Vikram and the Vampire
Richard F. Burton

British Dictionary definitions for sanctum

sanctum

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

Word Origin and History for 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.