See Also: Sacred(medicine)
sacred(dictionary)
Sacred Cow(money)
sacred cow(dictionary)
sacred(dictionary)
Sacred Heart(health)
Sacred Heart(tourism)
sacred bone(medicine)
Sacred City of Anuradhapura(tourism)
Sacred City of Kandy(tourism)

sacred (iou)



sacred adjective & noun. LME.
[pa. pple of SACRE: see -ED1.]
A. adjective.
Consecrated to or considered especially dear to a god or supernatural being. Foll. by to. LME.
E. O. M. Deutsch The dove sacred to Venus. P. Kavanagh Forts which everyone regarded as sacred to the fairies.
b. transf. Dedicated or appropriated exclusively to a particular person or purpose. M17.
J. Wain Chairs which were sacred to their use.
Set apart for or dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration or respect; consecrated, hallowed (in names of animals and plants indicating ancient or traditional veneration). LME.
J. Conrad Bearers of a spark from the sacred fire.
transf. Regarded with or deserving veneration or respect as of something holy, esp. (now arch. & Hist.) as an epithet of royalty. M16.
L. M. Montgomery Such an affecting farewell..will be sacred in my memory forever.
Protected (as) by religious sanction or reverence from violation, interference, incursion, etc., sacrosanct, inviolable. Also foll. by from. M16.
C. Mackenzie Compelled to take the sacred meerschaum from his mouth. J. B. Yeats People will do and say anything, and..nothing is sacred. P. G. Wodehouse He had lightly betrayed a sacred trust which had been reposed in him.
Accursed. Now rare or obsolete. L16.
Special collocations: sacred axe a Chinese porcelain mark, supposedly designating a warrior. sacred band Greek History an elite corps of 300 men within the Theban army, comprising 150 pairs of lovers chosen from noble families. Sacred Blood the blood of Christ. sacred book: embodying the laws and teachings of a particular religion. sacred circle an exclusive company, an elite. Sacred College: see COLLEGE noun 1; (Dean of the Sacred College: see DEAN noun1 6). sacred concert: comprising sacred music. sacred cow colloq. (chiefly derog.) (with ref. to the Hindu veneration of the cow as a sacred animal) a person, idea, institution, etc., unreasonably held to be above questioning or criticism. sacred egoism = SACRO EGOISMO. Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (a) (an image representing) the heart of Christ as an object of devotion; (b) a private prayer devoted to the heart of Christ. sacred history: that contained in the Bible. sacred IBIS. sacred music: accompanying sacred words; having a sacred theme or purpose. sacred number a number (esp. seven) considered significant in religious symbolism. sacred orders rare = holy orders s.v. ORDER noun 2a. sacred poetry: concerned with religious themes. sacred scarab: see SCARAB 1a. Sacred War: see WAR noun1. sacred way a route used (esp. habitually) for religious processions or pilgrimages. Sacred Writ: see WRIT noun 1. sacred writing = sacred book above.
B. noun. In pl. Sacred rites or observances. E17-M18.
sacredly adverb (a) with strict observance, inviolably; (b) in a sacred or religious manner: M16.
sacredness noun L17.