Adjacent Words

sanctum definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a place of inviolable privacy; "he withdrew to his sanctum sanctorum, where the children could never go" [syn: sanctum, sanctum sanctorum]
2: a sacred place of pilgrimage [syn: holy place, sanctum, holy]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural sanctums; also sancta) Etymology: Late Latin, from Latin, neuter of sanctus sacred Date: 1577 1. a sacred place 2. a place where one is free from intrusion <an editor's sanctum> <the inner sanctums of research>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. sanctums) 1 a holy place. 2 colloq. a person's private room, study, or den. Phrases and idioms: sanctum sanctorum 1 the holy of holies in the Jewish temple. 2 = sense 2 of n. 3 an inner retreat. 4 an esoteric doctrine etc. Etymology: L, neut. of sanctus holy, past part. of sancire consecrate: sanctorum genit. pl. in transl. of Heb. kodes hakk° dasîm holy of holies

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sanctum Sanc"tum, n. [L., p. p. of sancire to consecrate.] A sacred place; hence, a place of retreat; a room reserved for personal use; as, an editor's sanctum. Sanctum sanctorum [L.], the Holy of Holies; the most holy place, as in the Jewish temple.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(sanctums) 1. If you refer to someone's inner sanctum, you mean a room which is private and sometimes secret, where they can be quiet and alone. His bedroom's his inner sanctum. N-COUNT: usu sing 2. A sanctum is the holiest place inside a holy building such as a temple or mosque. N-COUNT

Moby Thesaurus

adytum, ashram, cabinet, cell, cloister, closet, den, hermitage, hideaway, hideout, hiding place, holy of holies, holy place, ivory tower, lair, mew, privacy, recess, retreat, sacrarium, sanctuary, sanctum sanctorum, secret place, shrine, study