Sacred
['seɪkrɪd] or ['sekrɪd]
Definition
(adj.) (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' .
(adj.) concerned with religion or religious purposes; 'sacred texts'; 'sacred rites'; 'sacred music' .
(adj.) worthy of respect or dedication; 'saw motherhood as woman's sacred calling' .
Typist: Richard--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) 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.
(a.) Relating to religion, or to the services of religion; not secular; religious; as, sacred history.
(a.) Designated or exalted by a divine sanction; possessing the highest title to obedience, honor, reverence, or veneration; entitled to extreme reverence; venerable.
(a.) Hence, not to be profaned or violated; inviolable.
(a.) Consecrated; dedicated; devoted; -- with to.
(a.) Solemnly devoted, in a bad sense, as to evil, vengeance, curse, or the like; accursed; baleful.
Inputed by Gracie
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. [1]. Hallowed, holy, divine.[2]. Religious, not secular, not profane.[3]. Dedicated, devoted, consecrated.[4]. Inviolable, not to be profaned.[5]. Venerable, sainted.
Checked by Jessie
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Holy, divine, hallowed, consecrated, religious, inviolable
ANT:Unholy, common, profane, unconsecrated
Inputed by Cole
Definition
adj. set apart or dedicated esp. to God: made holy: proceeding from God: religious: entitled to respect or veneration: inviolable: devoted to destruction: opposed to secular as sacred music or history: not liable to punishment.—adv. Sā′credly.—n. Sā′credness.—Sacred ape the hanuman of India; Sacred beetle an Egyptian scarab; Sacred cat the house cat of Egypt sacred to Pasht; Sacred fish one of the fresh-water fishes of the Nile; Sacred Heart (R.C.) the physical heart of Christ adored with special devotion since the 18th century.
Checked by Gregory
Unserious Contents or Definition
adj. Dedicated to some religious purpose; having a divine character; inspiring solemn thoughts or emotions; as the Dalai Lama of Thibet; the Moogum of M'bwango; the temple of Apes in Ceylon; the Cow in India; the Crocodile the Cat and the Onion of ancient Egypt; the Mufti of Moosh; the hair of the dog that bit Noah etc.
Editor: Rodney
Examples
- I cordially invite you, sir, to second my efforts in the sacred interests of the family. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- I said he was right there--never under my roof, where the Lares were sacred, and the laws of hospitality paramount. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- It need hardly be remarked that his use both of Greek and of Roman historians and of the sacred writings of the Jews is wholly uncritical. Plato. The Republic.
- It was but a hurried parting in a common street, yet it was a sacred remembrance to these two common people. Charles Dickens. Hard Times.
- Your lives and property are sacred and inviolable amongst one another until the end of time. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- I am imperfectly consoled for this disappointment by the sacred pledge, the perished flower. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- We have seen that they would have been safer among the ancient heathens, with whom the rites of hospitality were sacred. Benjamin Franklin. Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin.
- Were this my last hour of power, it should be an hour sacred to revenge and to pleasure--let new cares come with to-morrow's new day. Walter Scott. Ivanhoe.
- In both regulations, the sacred rights of private property are sacrificed to the supposed interests of public revenue. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
- I did so, that I might kiss the dear and sacred earth he trod. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- All these circumstances gave property a less fixed and sacred character. Plato. The Republic.
- Well, if so much of unholy force can arise from below, may not an equal efflux of sacred essence descend one day from above? Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- Sir Leicester looks on at this invasion of the sacred precincts with an icy stare. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- My sacred regard for truth is (thank God) far above my respect for persons. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- I had no right to hear them, no right to answer them--they were the words that banished me, in the name of her sacred weakness, from the room. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- I will accept him as a trust, and it shall be a sacred one! Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- On the contrary, the Moors reverence cats as something sacred. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- The party took note of the sacred spot, and moved on. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- At the place where I planned to do this, I was (as nearly as I could calculate it) some three days distant, journeying on foot, from the sacred city. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- Each stone deity was possessed by sacred gladness, and the eternal fruition of love. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- The Israelites held them sacred in the old patriarchal times, and these other Arabs, their lineal descendants, do so likewise. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- He would not allow old Athanasius to speak to me of sacred things, and I know nothing, save that there is an Almighty Being called God. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- It had no temples, and since it had no sacrifices it had no sacred order of priests. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- As the sole remaining representatives of their decayed family, the persons of both were almost sacred in her eyes. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Not to intrude on the sacred mysteries of medicine, he took it, now (with the jury droop and persuasive eye-glass), that this was Merdle's case? Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- In this house, what grief could be sacred? Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- You should be Englishmen, said he; and yet, sacred Heaven! Walter Scott. Ivanhoe.
- Not a human creature, large or small, appeared in any part of the sacred seclusion. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- The birth of her daughter, embryo copy of her Raymond, filled up the measure of her content, and produced a sacred and indissoluble tie between them. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- THE NARRATIVE OF THE TOMBSTONE Sacred to the Memory of Laura, Lady Glyde, wife of Sir Percival Glyde, Bart. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
Editor: Rodney