Adjacent Words

Sacred definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SA'CRED, a. [L. sacer, sacred, holy, cursed, damnable. We here see the connection between sacredness and secrecy. The sense is removed or separated from that which is common, vulgar, polluted, or open, public; and accursed is separated from society or the privileges of citizens, rejected, banished.]
1. Holy; pertaining to God or to his worship; separated from common secular uses and consecrated to God and his service; as a sacred place; a sacred day; a sacred feast; sacred service; sacred orders.
2. Proceeding from God and containing religious precepts; as the sacred books of the Old and New Testament.
3. Narrating or writing facts respecting God and holy things; as a sacred historian.
4. Relating to religion or the worship of God; used for religious purposes; as sacred songs; sacred music; sacred history.
5. Consecrated; dedicated; devoted; with to.
A temple sacred to the queen of love.
6. Entitled to reverence; venerable.
Poet and saint to thee alone were given, the two most sacred names of earth and heav'n.
7. Inviolable, as if appropriated to a superior being; as sacred honor or promise.
Secrets of marriage still are sacred held.
Sacred majesty. In this title, sacred has no definite meaning, or it is blasphemy.
Sacred place, in the civil law, is that where a deceased person is buried.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: concerned with religion or religious purposes; "sacred texts"; "sacred rites"; "sacred music" [ant: profane, secular]
2: worthy of respect or dedication; "saw motherhood as woman's sacred calling"
3: made or declared or believed to be holy; devoted to a deity or some religious ceremony or use; "a consecrated church"; "the sacred mosque"; "sacred elephants"; "sacred bread and wine"; "sanctified wine" [syn: consecrated, sacred, sanctified]
4: worthy of religious veneration; "the sacred name of Jesus"; "Jerusalem's hallowed soil" [syn: hallowed, sacred]
5: (often followed by `to') devoted exclusively to a single use or purpose or person; "a fund sacred to charity"; "a morning hour sacred to study"; "a private office sacred to the President"

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English, from past participle of sacren to consecrate, from Anglo-French sacrer, from Latin sacrare, from sacr-, sacer sacred; akin to Latin sancire to make sacred, Hittite šakl?i- rite Date: 14th century 1. a. dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity <a tree sacred to the gods> b. devoted exclusively to one service or use (as of a person or purpose) <a fund sacred to charity> 2. a. worthy of religious veneration ; holy b. entitled to reverence and respect 3. of or relating to religion ; not secular or profane <sacred music> 4. archaic accursed 5. a. unassailable, inviolable b. highly valued and important <a sacred responsibility> • sacredly adverb • sacredness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 a (often foll. by to) exclusively dedicated or appropriated (to a god or to some religious purpose). b made holy by religious association. c connected with religion; used for a religious purpose (sacred music). 2 a safeguarded or required by religion, reverence, or tradition. b sacrosanct. 3 (of writings etc.) embodying the laws or doctrines of a religion. Phrases and idioms: Sacred College RC Ch. the body of cardinals. sacred cow colloq. an idea or institution unreasonably held to be above criticism (with ref. to the Hindus' respect for the cow as a holy animal). Sacred Heart RC Ch. the heart of Christ as an object of devotion. sacred number a number associated with religious symbolism, e.g. 7. Derivatives: sacredly adv. sacredness n. Etymology: ME, past part. of obs. sacre consecrate f. OF sacrer f. L sacrare f. sacer sacri holy

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sacred Sa"cred, a. [Originally p. p. of OE. sacren to consecrate, F. sacrer, fr. L. sacrare, fr. sacer sacred, holy, cursed. Cf. Consecrate, Execrate, Saint, Sexton.] 1. Set apart by solemn religious ceremony; especially, in a good sense, made holy; set apart to religious use; consecrated; not profane or common; as, a sacred place; a sacred day; sacred service. 2. Relating to religion, or to the services of religion; not secular; religious; as, sacred history. Smit with the love of sacred song. --Milton. 3. Designated or exalted by a divine sanction; possessing the highest title to obedience, honor, reverence, or veneration; entitled to extreme reverence; venerable. Such neighbor nearness to our sacred [royal] blood Should nothing privilege him. --Shak. Poet and saint to thee alone were given, The two most sacred names of earth and heaven. --Cowley. 4. Hence, not to be profaned or violated; inviolable. Secrets of marriage still are sacred held. --Dryden. 5. Consecrated; dedicated; devoted; -- with to. A temple, sacred to the queen of love. --Dryden. 6. Solemnly devoted, in a bad sense, as to evil, vengeance, curse, or the like; accursed; baleful. [Archaic] But, to destruction sacred and devote. --Milton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. Something that is sacred is believed to be holy and to have a special connection with God. The owl is sacred for many Californian Indian people. ADJ 2. Something connected with religion or used in religious ceremonies is described as sacred. ...sacred songs or music. ADJ: ADJ n 3. You can describe something as sacred when it is regarded as too important to be changed or interfered with. My memories are sacred... ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Hallowed, holy, consecrated, divine. 2. Religious. 3. Dedicated, devoted, consecrated. 4. Inviolable, inviolate. 5. Venerable, sainted.

Moby Thesaurus

all-knowing, all-powerful, all-seeing, all-wise, almighty, alto, angelic, awe-inspiring, awesome, awful, baritone, bass, blessed, boundless, bravura, ceremonial, changeless, cherished, choral, choric, churchly, coloratura, consecrated, creating, creative, dedicated, defended, divine, dramatic, ecclesiastical, eternal, eternally the same, everlasting, falsetto, glorious, godly, good, guarded, hallowed, heavenly, heroic, hieratic, highest, holy, hymnal, immortal, immune, immutable, ineffable, inenarrable, inexpressible, infinite, inviolable, inviolate, just, limitless, liturgical, loving, luminous, lyric, majestic, making, merciful, numinous, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, one, operatic, permanent, perpetual, priestly, protected, psalmic, psalmodial, psalmodic, radiant, religious, revered, ritual, sacramental, sacrosanct, sainted, saintly, sanctified, shaping, shielded, singing, solemn, soprano, sovereign, spiritual, supreme, tenor, the holy, the ineffable, the inenarrable, the inexpressible, the numinous, the unspeakable, the unutterable, timeless, treble, ubiquitous, unbounded, unchanging, undefined, unlimited, unspeakable, untouchable, unutterable, venerable, venerated, vocal