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holy of holies
noun
- a place of special sacredness.
- the innermost chamber of the Biblical tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem, in which the ark of the covenant was kept.
- Eastern Church. the bema.
holy of holies
noun
- any place of special sanctity
- capitals the innermost compartment of the Jewish tabernacle, and later of the Temple, where the Ark was enshrined
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Word History and Origins
Origin of holy of holies1
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Idioms and Phrases
A place of awe or sacredness, as in The corporate board room is the holy of holies here . This expression is a translation of the Hebrew term for the sanctuary inside the tabernacle of the Temple of Jerusalem, where the sacred Ark of the Covenant was kept (Exodus 26:34). Its figurative use dates from the second half of the 1800s.Discover More
Example Sentences
I made no reply, for I feared that she would live to regret having created that scene in the monk's holy-of-holies.
If you know your business, you are struck with awe on being in this holy-of-holies.
Only a chosen few had ever set foot within the holy-of-holies; this young man was not one of them.
Englishmen had been to Lhassa and to Tashi-lunpo; therefore, both of their holy-of-holies had been profaned.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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