Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sacred” come from?

Sacred comes from Middle English sacren, from Old French sacrer, from Latin sacro, derived from the adjective Latin sacer meaning set apart or holy, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European seh₂k-.

sacred (English): Characterized by solemn religious ceremony or...

Definitions

  1. Characterized by solemn religious ceremony or...

Ancestry of “sacred”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsacred—
2Middle EnglishsacrenTo consecrate, especially with reference to the...
3Old Frenchsacrerto consecrate, anoint, dedicate; to hallow
4Latinsacrō—
5Latinsacersacred, holy, dedicated , consecrated, hallowed;...
6Proto-Indo-Europeansh₂króssacred
7Proto-Indo-Europeanseh₂k-sacred

Words derived from “sacred”

  • sacredness
  • sacredly
  • nonsacred
  • unsacred
  • semisacred
  • sacredize
Every word from Proto-Indo-European seh₂k- →