sanctum

American  

[sangk-tuhm] / ˈsæŋk təm /

noun

plural

sanctums, sancta

1. a sacred or holy place.

2. an inviolably private place or retreat.

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sanctum British  

/ ˈsæŋktəm /

noun

1. a sacred or holy place

2. a room or place of total privacy or inviolability

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Etymology

Origin of sanctum

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

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

At the temple, Prapakaran, the software engineer, walked 11 circles around the inner sanctum, part of the ritual for currying favor with the Visa God.

From The Wall Street Journal

Initially wary of allowing cameras into the sanctum of the dressing room, Reid says his misgivings soon disappeared.

From BBC

Boyce impressed his bosses and was soon cleared to enter the steel-doored fortress called the “black vault,” a classified sanctum where he was exposed to sensitive CIA communications pertaining to America’s network of espionage satellites.

From Los Angeles Times

They listen to Pepsi-branded transistor radios, fence with disc jockey Murray the K, who insinuates himself into their inner sanctum.

From Los Angeles Times