Holy of Holies en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Calque of Biblical Hebrew קודש הקודשים \ קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים (kódesh hakodashím).
Meanings
- (broadly, figuratively) The most sacred place within a sacred building.
- (humorous, informal) One's private retreat, an inner sanctum.
-
(figuratively) That which is holiest among holy things.
Rabbi Akiba declared that if the other books of the Bible are holy, Shir Hashirim is the "holy of holies."
1996, Macy Nulman, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer, page 305:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| holy of holies | alternative | lexicographic |
Relateds
Lord of Lords · super-superlativeness · king of kings
Synonyms
Translations (28)
cmn 至聖所 /至圣所 (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · mk светиња над светињите (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · ro sfânta sfintelor (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · sv allra heligaste (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · de Allerheiligstes (inner sanctum) · yue 至聖所 /至圣所 (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · pl Święte Świętych (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · sv allraheligaste (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · nl heilige der heiligen (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · fi kaikkein pyhin (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · hi परमपवित्र स्थान (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · es sanctasanctórum (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · nl allerheiligste (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · el τα άδυτα των αδύτων (inner sanctum) · yi קדשי־קדשים (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · el άδυτο (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · bg светая светих (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · fr saint des saints (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · pt ádito (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · he קודש הקודשים \ קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · nci teōpam māhuizzōcan (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · la adytum (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · la sānctum sānctōrum (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · pl Święte Świętych (inner sanctum) · de Allerheiligstes (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · el ιερό (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · xag 𐕌𐕒𐕡𐕟𐕒𐕡𐕙𐕒𐕡𐕎 𐕌𐕒𐕡𐕟𐕒𐕡𐕙𐕒𐕡𐕎𐕒𐕡𐕘𐕒𐔺 (the most sacred place within a sacred building) · ru свята́я святы́х (the most sacred place within a sacred building)