sa⋅cred
[sey-krid]
| 1. | devoted or dedicated to a deity or to some religious purpose; consecrated. |
| 2. | entitled to veneration or religious respect by association with divinity or divine things; holy. |
| 3. | pertaining to or connected with religion (opposed to secular or profane ): sacred music; sacred books. |
| 4. | reverently dedicated to some person, purpose, or object: a morning hour sacred to study. |
| 5. | regarded with reverence: the sacred memory of a dead hero. |
| 6. | secured against violation, infringement, etc., as by reverence or sense of right: sacred oaths; sacred rights. |
| 7. | properly immune from violence, interference, etc., as a person or office. |
1275–1325; ME, orig. ptp. of sacren to consecrate < L sacrāre to devote, deriv. of sacer holy; see -ed 2

Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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| Spanish: | sagrado, | German: | heilig, | Japanese: | 神聖な |
| sa·cred
(sā'krĭd) Pronunciation Key
adj.
[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. |
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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sacred
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| 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" |
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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)
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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.Cite This Source
Sacred Heart, MN (city, FIPS 56572)
Location: (44.786367, -95.350753)
Population (2000): 549 (290 housing units)
Area: 0.992439 sq mi (land), 0.000000 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 56285
Sacred Heart, MN (city, FIPS 12956572)
Location: (44.786367, -95.350753)
Population (2000): 549 (290 housing units)
Area: 0.992439 sq mi (land), 0.000000 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 56285
Sacred Heart, MN (township, FIPS 12956590)
Location: (44.740709, -95.291310)
Population (2000): 277 (122 housing units)
Area: 51.488973 sq mi (land), 0.025550 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 56285
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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.Cite This Source
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