LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

sānctuārium

sānctuārium n (genitive sānctuāriī or sānctuārī)
Classical[saːŋk.tuˈaː.ri.ũː]Ecclesiastical[saŋk.tuˈaː.ri.um]

Meaning

  1. prince's lockbox
  2. Late Latinshrine, sanctuary
  3. Late Latinrelics of a saint; a case for such relics

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativesānctuāriumsānctuāria
genitivesānctuāriī
sānctuārī		sānctuāriōrum
dativesānctuāriōsānctuāriīs
accusativesānctuāriumsānctuāria
ablativesānctuāriōsānctuāriīs
vocativesānctuāriumsānctuāria

sanctŭārĭum, ii, n. sanctus (postAug. for sacrarium).
I. A place for keeping sacred things, a shrine, sanctuary, Aggen. Limit. p. 61 Goes.; Vulg. Dan. 8, 13 et saep.—
II. The private cabinet of a prince: Mithridatis, Plin. 23, 8, 77, § 149; Sicul. Fl. p. 16 Goes.; Inscr. Orell. 2388.

Origins

Possibly sanctus (“holy”) + -ārium (improperly for an adjective), via *sanctuārius, (relating to sanctity). But the u, which is unexpected for the second declension, makes this doubtful. The Late Latin noun sanctus post-dates sanctuārium by several centuries.

Descendants
  • Catalansantuari
  • Englishsanctuary
  • Frenchsanctuaire
  • Italiansantuario
  • Portuguesesantuário
  • Romaniansanctuar
  • Spanishsantuario
  • Old Galician-Portuguesesantuairo
  • Galiciansantuario
  • Piedmontesesantuari

In English words that came into English from sānctuārium

  • sanctuarysānctuārium

Quick answers

What does sānctuārium mean in Latin?
sānctuārium, a noun, means “prince's lockbox; shrine, sanctuary; relics of a saint”.
What is the genitive of sānctuārium?
The genitive singular is sānctuāriī. sānctuārium is neuter, second declension.
How do you pronounce sānctuārium?
In classical Latin, [saːŋk.tuˈaː.ri.ũː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [saŋk.tuˈaː.ri.um].