sacred word
Ritualistic spoken invocation
A sacred word is a term or phrase treated as holy, spiritually powerful, or deserving special reverence within a religious or ceremonial context.
Some traditions hold that sacred words carry inherent power—mantras in Hinduism, the Tetragrammaton in Judaism, or words spoken during ritual.
The phrase also appears figuratively for any term treated as beyond criticism or casual use: In that household, "family" was a sacred word.
- mantraRepeated focus phrase
- prayerAddress to deity
- chantRepetitive rhythmic phrase
- call and responseAlternating vocal pattern
- invocationCalling upon higher authority
incantation · amen · hallelujah · om · blessing · hymn · scripture · verse · psalm · holy · divine · ritual · last rites · whispered · reverent · temple · altar · utterance
- Mantrasom, shanti, mantra meditation, ram, hum
- York Ritehigh priest, high priesthood, exaltation, sojourner, secret vault
sacred wordprofanity
Vulgar or obscene speech
blasphemy · curse word · swear word · obscenity · expletive
sacred wordcurse
Invoked harm through words
malediction · hex · imprecation · anathema · execration
sacred, word, sacredness, sacral, sacrament, sacramental, consecrate, consecration, desecrate