Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

sa·cred       (sā'krĭd)  Pronunciation Key  adj.   Dedicated to or set apart for the worship of a deity. Worthy of religious veneration: the sacred teachings of the Buddha. Made or declared holy: sacred bread and wine. Dedicated or devoted exclusively to a single use, purpose, or person: sacred to the memory of her sister; a private office sacred to the President. Worthy of respect; venerable. Of or relating to religious objects, rites, or practices. [Middle English, past participle of sacren, to consecrate, from Old French sacrer, from Latin sacrāre, from sacer, sacr-, sacred; see sak- in Indo-European roots.] sa'cred·ly adv., sa'cred·ness n.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
sacred 

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

sacred
adjective
1.	concerned with religion or religious purposes; "sacred texts"; "sacred rites"; "sacred music" [ant: profane]
2.	worthy of respect or dedication; "saw motherhood as woman's sacred calling"
3.	made or declared or believed to be holy; devoted to a deity or some religious ceremony or use; "a consecrated church"; "the sacred mosque"; "sacred elephants"; "sacred bread and wine"; "sanctified wine" [syn: consecrated]
4.	worthy of religious veneration; "the sacred name of Jesus"; "Jerusalem's hallowed soil" [syn: hallowed]
5.	(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"

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

sacred jargon
Reserved for exclusive use by something. The term might mean only writable by whatever it is sacred to.
For example, "Register 7 is sacred to the interrupt handler" would mean that if any other code changed the contents of register 7, dire consequences would ensue.
[The Jargon File]
(2002-12-30)

Jargon File - Cite This Source - Share This

sacred

adj. Reserved for the exclusive use of something (an extension of the standard meaning). Often means that anyone may look at the sacred object, but clobbering it will screw whatever it is sacred to. The comment "Register 7 is sacred to the interrupt handler" appearing in a program would be interpreted by a hacker to mean that if any _other_ part of the program changes the contents of register 7, dire consequences are likely to ensue.

U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Sacred Heart, MN (city, FIPS 56572) Location: 44.78311 N, 95.35034 W
Population (1990): 603 (296 housing units)
Area: 2.6 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 56285

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Sacred

Sa"cred\, a. [Originally p. p. of OE. sacren to consecrate, F. sacrer, fr. L. sacrare, fr. sacer sacred, holy, cursed. Cf. Consecrate, Execrate, Saint, Sexton.]

1. 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.

2. Relating to religion, or to the services of religion; not secular; religious; as, sacred history.

Smit with the love of sacred song. --Milton.

3. Designated or exalted by a divine sanction; possessing the highest title to obedience, honor, reverence, or veneration; entitled to extreme reverence; venerable.

Such neighbor nearness to our sacred [royal] blood Should nothing privilege him. --Shak.

Poet and saint to thee alone were given, The two most sacred names of earth and heaven. --Cowley.

4. Hence, not to be profaned or violated; inviolable.

Secrets of marriage still are sacred held. --Dryden.

5. Consecrated; dedicated; devoted; -- with to.

A temple, sacred to the queen of love. --Dryden.

6. Solemnly devoted, in a bad sense, as to evil, vengeance, curse, or the like; accursed; baleful. [Archaic]

But, to destruction sacred and devote. --Milton.

Society of the Sacred Heart (R.C. Ch.), a religious order of women, founded in France in 1800, and approved in 1826. It was introduced into America in 1817. The members of the order devote themselves to the higher branches of female education.

Sacred baboon. (Zo["o]l.) See Hamadryas.

Sacred bean (Bot.), a seed of the Oriental lotus (Nelumbo speciosa or Nelumbium speciosum), a plant resembling a water lily; also, the plant itself. See Lotus.

Sacred beetle (Zo["o]l.) See Scarab.

Sacred canon. See Canon, n., 3.

Sacred fish (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of fresh-water African fishes of the family Mormyrid[ae]. Several large species inhabit the Nile and were considered sacred by the ancient Egyptians; especially Mormyrus oxyrhynchus.

Sacred ibis. See Ibis.

Sacred monkey. (Zo["o]l.) (a) Any Asiatic monkey of the genus Semnopithecus, regarded as sacred by the Hindoos; especially, the entellus. See Entellus. (b) The sacred baboon. See Hamadryas. (c) The bhunder, or rhesus monkey.

Sacred place (Civil Law), the place where a deceased person is buried.

Syn: Holy; divine; hallowed; consecrated; dedicated; devoted; religious; venerable; reverend. -- Sa"cred*ly, adv. -- Sa"cred*ness, n.