What does sanctity mean?
Word: Sanctity
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Sanctity means the quality of being holy or very important, and so needing to be protected and respected.
Synonyms: holiness, purity
Word origin: Comes from Latin sanctitas, from sanctus (holy).
How do you spell sanctity?
Syllables: sanc - ti - ty
Tricky part: The vowel before ty is i, not a or e: sanctaty and sanctety are the slips.
Watch out for: sanctaty, sanctety
Memory tip: Think of the dot on the i as a small lamp lit in a temple, glowing just before the ty.
Sanctity in a sentence
Example 1: Visitors removed their shoes out of respect for the sanctity of the temple.
Example 2: Doctors promise to respect the sanctity of human life.
Example 3: Our family guards the sanctity of Sunday lunch, with no phones at the table.
Fun Fact
Sanctus, Latin for holy, also gave English the word saint, which came through Old French.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
san_ _ity
a) ct
b) kt
c) ck
d) tt
Show answer
a) ct. The k sound before the t is written c, as in sanctuary.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its synonym:
1. sanctity 2. candour 3. diligence a. sacredness b. hard work c. honesty
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. Candour is honesty and diligence is hard work, which leaves sacredness.
Word Tally
Each word has one letter missing. In how many words is the missing letter 'n'? sactity, humilty, majesy, royaty, solemity
a) 3
b) 2
c) 4
d) 1
Show answer
b) 2. Two words have lost an n; humility lost an i, majesty a t and royalty an l.
Sound Check
In which word is 'ti' pronounced differently?
a) patience
b) sanctity
c) quantity
d) entity
Show answer
a) patience. In patience ti is said sh; in the other three it is a light 'tuh'.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Visitors respect the sanctity of a gurdwara by ___.
a) covering their heads and speaking softly
b) eating snacks beside the holy book
c) running races around the courtyard
d) playing loud music in the prayer hall
Show answer
a) covering their heads and speaking softly
2. The sanctity of a promise means it ___.
a) can be changed later
b) is very old
c) must not be broken
d) is written in ink
Show answer
c) must not be broken
