Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sacrosanct” come from?

Sacrosanct derives from Latin sacrosanctus, formed from Latin sacrum and Latin sacer, both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European seh₂k-.

sacrosanct (English): Beyond alteration, criticism, or interference,...

Definitions

  1. Beyond alteration, criticism, or interference,...

Ancestry of “sacrosanct”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinsacrosanctusinaugurated or consecrated with religious...
2Latinsānctus—
3LatinIacobusJacob; James; Saint James
4Ancient GreekἸάκωβος—
5Ancient GreekἸακώβ—
6HebrewיַעֲקֹבJacob
7Hebrewעָקֵבheel of the foot; heel

Words derived from “sacrosanct”

  • sacrosanctity
  • sacrosanctness
  • sacrosanctly
Every word from Hebrew עָקֵב →