sanctum
13
8.7
- noun
- /ˈsæŋktəm/
:
santuario
- When not in use, these boats were stored either inside the temple's inner sanctum or within boat shrines.
- inner sanctum
- temple sanctum
- sanctum sanctorum
Examples
-
Freya will be in her sanctum, below the steeple.
-
The outer courtyard is filled with pilgrims making full-length prostrations toward the holy sanctum.
Academic text (1995) -
At the door to the inner sanctum, I turned.
Fiction book (1994) -
You defended the New York Sanctum from attack.
-
As they approach the inner sanctum, however, there are fewer people.
Fiction book (1992) -
Now that I've made it into the inner sanctum, I hope I see you again.
-
Not so long ago, the Lord Commander's sanctum had been a place of mystery and intriguing speculation.
Fiction book (1992) -
Temples did have public functions, but their inner sanctums, where the cult statues normally resided, were off-limits to the general population.
Academic text (2002) -
The sanctuary is a sacred sanctum for members of the temple.
-
After a long journey, she finally entered the sanctum where the religious ceremony would take place.
Synonyms
55
5.5
A holy part of a religious building around the altar
14
3.5
A place where people go to pray, like a temple or church
4
9.9
A church room where the priest keeps and prepares robes and other things for services
1
9.9
A private place where someone can be alone without being disturbed
1
9.9
A special place in a church where people keep holy objects
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
A small evergreen tree from the southern United States and West Indies with very hard wood used for durable tools
- Literature
The deepest and most sacred part of a temple where only priests can enter
How Sacred
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word sanctum comes from the Latin root sanctus, which means 'holy', and it shares this root with sanctuary. It was used for the inner, sacred part of a temple, so a sanctum is a special place for worship or for people who come to pray.