Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SACROSANCT
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pronounce
SACROSANCT:
Say it "SACK ro sankt."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
While we're checking out the word sacrosanct, let's recall a related term, one that also traces back to the Latin sacer, meaning "holy or sacred." This term is French for "sacred monster," and it means "a famous person with a weird, unique personality." It's m_____e sacré.
Can you recall its spelling and pronunciation? If you're not sure, give it a click.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
"Sacrosanct" has Latin bits that mean "made holy by holy ceremonies."
Yup: both the "sacro" and the "sanct" bits mean "holy or sacred."
In English, something sacrosanct is so holy or so sacred that it absolutely must be treated that way (and not be hurt, forgotten, mistreated, etc.).
In a looser sense, something sacrosanct is so special and so beloved that it absolutely must be treated that way (and can't be changed, left out, joked about, etc.).
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "a sacrosanct room;" "The tradition is sacrosanct."
Other forms:
The noun is "sacrosanctity." (Or, if you must, "sacrosanctness.")
how to use it:
Compared to the simpler, much more common word "sacred," our word "sacrosanct" helps you call extra attention to just how holy something is and how seriously people take it.
You might talk seriously or jokingly about sacrosanct words and phrases, rituals and traditions, objects and symbols, memories and relationships, beliefs and principles, etc.
examples:
"With its purification rituals and its imperial roots, sumo is sacrosanct in a way that American sports will never be."
— Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics, 2005
"Ark of the Covenant: the sacred chest of acacia wood overlaid with gold which the Israelites took with them on their journey into Palestine... it is the permanent pledge of Yahweh's gracious presence; it guides the people on their journey and leads them to victory. It is no mere receptacle, but a sacrosanct object."
— Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition, Volume 2, Slice 5, 2010
has this page helped you understand "sacrosanct"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "sacrosanct" without saying "inviolable" or "venerated."
try it out:
In a movie review, Justin Chang wrote, "Star Wars, at once a cultural juggernaut and a sacrosanct institution, resists any attempt to reimagine its landscape too aggressively or imaginatively."
Talk about what he means. How can a movie franchise (like Star Wars) be sacrosanct in our culture? Do you think he's being serious when he calls it sacrosanct, or is he exaggerating? Maybe a bit of both? Finally, could you give another example of something that's sacrosanct in our culture?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is "Clues in Cobbled Haikus."
Check out the haiku, cobbled together from the work of a famous writer, and see if you can identify the term it's suggesting.
Try this last one today:
Cobbled from the work of E. E. Cummings, the haiku below suggests which of the following terms: Pandora's box, jeu d'esprit, or raison d'etre?
she laughed his joy, hope.
anyone's any was all
to her, sun stars rain.
To see the answer, scroll all the way down.
review this word:
A. VAGUE and TACIT (wordless, or expressed indirectly).
B. CURSED and MUNDANE (earthly, worldly, not spiritual).
C. ONE-DIMENSIONAL and PLATITUDINAL (filled with unoriginal sayings).
2.
In an essay in the New Yorker, Hilton Als wrote, "He had a room in her house, at the very top, and it was sacrosanct; you didn't _____."
A. want to smell it
B. enter it uninvited
C. know what wonders it contained
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.
From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
While we're checking out the word sacrosanct, let's recall a related term, one that also traces back to the Latin sacer, meaning "holy or sacred." This term is French for "sacred monster," and it means "a famous person with a weird, unique personality." It's m_____e sacré.
"Sacrosanct" has Latin bits that mean "made holy by holy ceremonies."
Part of speech:
Compared to the simpler, much more common word "sacred," our word "sacrosanct" helps you call extra attention to just how holy something is and how seriously people take it.
"With its purification rituals and its imperial roots, sumo is sacrosanct in a way that American sports will never be."
Explain the meaning of "sacrosanct" without saying "inviolable" or "venerated."
In a movie review, Justin Chang wrote, "Star Wars, at once a cultural juggernaut and a sacrosanct institution, resists any attempt to reimagine its landscape too aggressively or imaginatively."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |