Sanctity is the quality of being holy or inviolable. The sanctity of life, violate the sanctity, the sanctity of the home.
Outside religion it means something must not be violated, and it is nearly always in the phrase the sanctity of. The sanctity of life is the standard framing in arguments about euthanasia and abortion, and it is contested on both sides.
1nounsanctityThe quality of being holy or inviolable.
“The priest spoke about the sanctity of the church and asked visitors to keep quiet.”
sanctity is a quality.
Latin sanctitas comes from sanctus, holy, from sancire, to consecrate. Saint is the same root.
Latin
sānctitās
Old French
sanctete
Middle English
sanctity
English, today
sanctity
From Middle English sanctity, from Old French sanctete, from Latin sānctitās.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA