Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The sanctum in an ancient temple.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In ancient worship, a sacred place which the worshipers might not enter, or which might be entered only by those who had performed certain rites, or only by males or by females, or only on certain appointed days, etc.; also, a secret sanctuary or shrine open only to the priests, or whence oracles were delivered; hence, in general, the most sacred or reserved part of any place of worship.
- noun Figuratively, the innermost or least accessible part of anything; that which is screened from common view; hidden recess; occult sense.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The innermost sanctuary or shrine in ancient temples, whence oracles were given. Hence: A private chamber; a sanctum.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
innermost sanctuary orshrine inancient temples , whenceoracles were given. - noun by extension A
private chamber ; asanctum .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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In the adytum are the remains of columns, lying on the ground, the only instance of the kind I have seen in any Egyptian temple: in its walls are some low dark recesses, and windows or loop-holes like those in the temple at Tintyra: its roof is formed of single blocks of stone reaching the whole breadth, and upwards of three feet in thickness.
Travels in Nubia 2004
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On one side of the adytum is a small dark chamber, in which is a deep sepulchre, with a large lion sculptured in the wall immediately over it; and, on the other side, behind the wall, is a passage, communicating with the pronaos, and containing a staircase which leads up to the top of the building.
Travels in Nubia 2004
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The adytum, which is entered through a narrow chamber, three paces in breadth, is ten feet in length by nine in breadth; in its posterior wall are two fine monolith temples of granite, the largest of which is eight feet in height by three in breadth; the winged globe is sculptured over each of them.
Travels in Nubia 2004
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Goddess of the Temple very cordially received her in her adytum, that is to say, the kitchen.
Margaret 1851
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Next follows the cella, and beyond that, the adytum; there are a few sculptures on the walls of the adytum; on those of the pronaos
Travels in Nubia 2004
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The adytum is seven feet square; the remains of a statue, cut out of the rock, are visible in the back wall, and in the floor is a deep sepulchral excavation.
Travels in Nubia 2004
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On the lower part of the side walls of the adytum are single human figures, each with an animal by its side, generally an ox, a gazell, or a goose.
Travels in Nubia 2004
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There is an ascent by three low steps from the cella into the adytum, in which is a deep sepulchral excavation; there is also a similar but smaller one in the cella itself.
Travels in Nubia 2004
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But it was in quite a different place from that indicated by them, for Mr. Belzoni found it under ground far to the east of the adytum of Karnak.
Travels in Nubia 2004
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Behind the cella, and communicating with it by a door, is the adytum, on each side of which is a small chamber, also opening into the cella, exactly like those in the temple at Derr.
Travels in Nubia 2004
trivet commented on the word adytum
inner sanctum of a temple
February 7, 2007
oroboros commented on the word adytum
"Builders of the Adytum" (B.O.T.A.) is an esoteric/occult organization headquartered in Los Angeles, offering courses of study of the "Ageless Wisdom". Info at: http://www.bota.org/
June 19, 2007
jmjarmstrong commented on the word adytum
JM wants something to happen in the adytum that shows it for what it is.
June 13, 2010