sa´cred|ness

sa|cred «SAY krihd», adjective.

1. belonging to or dedicated to God or a god; holy: »

the sacred altar. A church is a sacred building. This statement says that the people of Cyprus “will carry on their sacred struggle without fear of any repressive measures or prison cells” (London Times).

SYNONYM(S): consecrated. See syn. under holy. (Cf. ↑holy)

2. connected with religion; religious: »

sacred music, sacred writings. Prayer is a sacred duty. What is called sacred may be an object. Thus the thunderbird or the coyote may be sacred in one group but not in another…the objects chosen to be sacred are those which are related to the unknown forces of mana, or other powers (Ogburn and Nimkoff).

3. Figurative. worthy of reverence: »

the sacred memory of a dead hero. To a feather-brained schoolgirl nothing is sacred (Charlotte Brontë).

4. Figurative. set apart for or dedicated to some person, object, or purpose: »

This monument is sacred to the memory of the Unknown Soldier.

5. that must not be violated or disregarded: »

He made a sacred promise. Their property would be held sacred (Macaulay).

6. properly immune, as from violence or interference; sacrosanct; inviolable: »

The persons of Saturninus and Glaucia were doubly sacred, for one was tribune and the other praetor (James A. Froude).

7. Rare. accursed: »

For sacred hunger of my Gold I die (John Dryden).

╂[(originally) past participle of sacre]

–sa´cred|ness, noun.