Sanctum Sanctorum - Use of The Term in Modern Languages

Use of The Term in Modern Languages

The Latin word sanctum may be used in English, following Latin, for "a holy place," or a sanctuary, as in the novel Jane Eyre (1848) which refers to "the sanctum of school room."

Romance languages tend to use the form sancta sanctorum, treating it as masculine and singular. E.g., the Spanish dictionary of the Real Academia Española admits sanctasanctórum (without the space and with an accent) as a derivative Spanish noun denoting both the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem, any secluded and mysterious place, and something that a person holds in the highest esteem.

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