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sacred text

sacred text

5 6.3
A book or writing that people respect and use in worship in a religion
  • noun
  • /ˈseɪkrɪd tɛkst/
translation icon : texto sagrado
  • The Bhagavad-Gita, one of the most sacred texts of Hinduism, is seen by some as a text that encourages violence and war.
  • interpretation of sacred texts
  • read the sacred texts

Why does the sacred texts say this instead of saying this other thing?

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Examples

  • And the only authority available to interpret his word is the sacred text.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Many religious communities consider the Bible to be a sacred text that guides their beliefs.

  • We can recognize the sacred text because it is present in our life stories.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Within the pages of the sacred text are found the categories that shape religious persons' experiences of the world.

    Academic text (2007)
  • We have already removed the Book of Oa, our most sacred text.

  • Profound words lie in the Hebrew sacred text of Joel.

  • Instead of begging, you can recite the sacred texts.

  • An unannotated Bible could facilitate a transparent encounter with the sacred text.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The commandment for Muslim women to cover themselves comes from the Quran, the Islamic sacred text.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Scholem, like the Kabbalists he studied, found the secret revealed in the sacred texts and their hermeneutical deciphering.

    Academic text (1999)

Synonyms

scripture
vssacred text
111 6.7

Sacred writings a religion accepts as true and important, like the Bible or Quran

focuses more on high reverence and active use in worship
religious text
vssacred text
5 3.7

A book or writing that people treat as holy in a religion

emphasizes being used in worship and central to religious belief
sacred scripture
vssacred text
1 7.5

A holy text that a religion treats as true and that guides people's lives

is more about a text central to worship and revered in practice
sacred writing
vssacred text
1 7.7

A text that a religion treats as holy and important

stresses central importance across the religion, not only veneration
religious writing
vssacred text
1 4.5

A text seen as holy and used for worship or teaching in a religion

highlights specifically texts central to worship rather than general teaching use

How Sacred

sacred text
5 6.3
scripture
111 6.7
devotional
1 6.1

Surface Forms

sacred text singular
sacred texts plural

Morphology

sacred + text

The meaning 'a book or writing regarded with great reverence' is directly and compositionally derivable from 'sacred' (holy, for religious use) + 'text' (written content). This adjective+noun combination follows a straightforward semantic pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand the phrase.

Etymology

Sacred text comes from the simple image of a book kept in a temple or church: the written text is called sacred because people treat it as 'holy' and use it in 'worship'. So, sacred texts are books people hold with great respect and turn to for guidance.