Heiligtum

sanctuary

noun HY-likh-toom Rare

Also means

shrine

Usage Note

Heiligtum is a sacred place or holy relic, formed from heilig (holy) plus -tum. It can be a shrine, a temple's inner sanctum, or figuratively something one holds dear. The plural changes the vowel: Heiligtümer.

Examples

"Das Heiligtum durfte nur der Hohepriester betreten."

Natural Translation

Only the high priest was allowed to enter the sanctuary.

Literal Translation

The sanctuary was-allowed only the high-priest to-enter.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Modal Verbs: Können, Müssen, Wollen and More

German modal verbs put the modal in position 2 and the real verb at the end. Master können, müssen, wollen and the rest with charts and clear examples.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Particles: doch, mal, ja, eben

German modal particles doch, mal, ja, and eben add attitude, not meaning. Before/after examples show how to use each one so your German stops sounding stiff.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Greetings by Region: Grüß Gott to Grüezi

German greetings change by region: say Moin in Hamburg, Grüß Gott in Bavaria, Grüezi in Switzerland. A map of every hello and goodbye, plus du vs. Sie.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

Der, Die, Das: Rules to Guess German Gender

German noun gender rules made simple: check the suffix first, then meaning. Endings like -ung, -chen, and -ling predict der, die, or das with ~90% accuracy.

June 5, 2026 6 min read