nomen sacrum

UK/ˌnəʊmɛn ˈseɪkɹəm/UK/ˌnəʊmən ˈseɪkɹəm/UK/ˌnəʊmɛn ˈsækɹəm/UK/ˌnəʊmən ˈsækɹəm/

noun

An abbreviation of a commonly-occurring holy name or title in early Christian manuscripts, consisting of at least two letters from the full spelling spanned by an overline.

OriginLatin nomen sacrum →
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Meanings

nounnomen sacrum (plural nomina sacra)

plural nomina sacra

  1. historicalChristianityAn abbreviation of a commonly-occurring holy name or title in early Christian manuscripts, consisting of at least two letters from the full spelling spanned by an overline.

Origin

  1. Latinnomen sacrum“holy name”
  2. Englishnomen sacrum

Unadapted borrowing from Latin nomen sacrum (“holy name”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

nomen sacrum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nomen%20sacrum

MLA

“nomen sacrum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nomen%20sacrum. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nomen sacrum,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nomen%20sacrum.

Source: nomen sacrum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.