Sacred
Holy, protected, or beyond criticism. Including things we just say are.
How We Say It
say·krid
Where It Comes From
Latin sacer — holy, set apart, dedicated to a god. From Proto-Indo-European root meaning to sanctify. Related to sacrifice — to make sacred by giving up. The sacred was originally that which was set apart from ordinary use.
How It's Been Used
Sacred has migrated from religious to secular use — 'sacred institution,' 'sacred duty,' 'nothing is sacred.' The secular uses borrow the absoluteness of the religious sense — sacred things cannot be questioned or touched — to place certain subjects beyond criticism.