sanctum sanctorum

American  

[sangk-tawr-uhm, -tohr-] / sæŋkˈtɔr əm, -ˈtoʊr- /

noun

1. the holy of holies of the Biblical tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem.

2. sanctum.

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sanctum sanctorum British  

/ sæŋkˈtɔːrəm /

noun

1. Bible another term for the holy of holies

2. facetious an especially private place

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sanctum sanctorum Cultural  

1. Latin for “holy of holies.” The place in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem (see also Jerusalem) where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. By extension, a sacred and private place.

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Etymology

Origin of sanctum sanctorum

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin sānctum sānctōrum, translation of Hebrew qōdhesh haqqodhāshīm holy of holies

Example Sentences

The current controversy centres around two idols of Dwarapalakas - or the door guards that stand just outside the sanctum sanctorum where the main deity sits.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2025

It's on the second floor of the clubhouse--truly a sanctum sanctorum.

From Golf Digest • Apr. 9, 2020

If deemed worthy, they were finally admitted to the sanctum sanctorum, an office large enough to accommodate 40 people.

From New York Times • Nov. 19, 2018

It remained the standard until its name was sold by the family, in the nineteen-twenties, and its lingering reputation was eventually surpassed by the sanctum sanctorum of Henri Soulé’s Le Pavillon, another of Freedman’s ten.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 12, 2016

She approaches the double doors and pushes her way into the sanctum sanctorum.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides