mindmap root((SANCT)) sanction To give approval to.
🌱The bill's opponents claimed that removing criminal penalties for drug possession would amount to sanctioning drug use. 🌳Sanction originally meant "make holy" or "give official church approval to." The word still has a solemn sound to it, so sanctioning is something generally done by an institution or government, though not necessarily by a church. So a college may sanction—or "give its blessing to"—the use of office space by a gay organization, or a hot-rod association may sanction two new tracks for official races. But sanction is also a noun, which may have two near-opposite meanings, "approval" and "penalty." Thus, a company may be accused of giving its sanction to illegal activities. But when two or more countries impose sanctions on another country, it often involves cutting off trade. No wonder sanction is such a tricky word for so many of us. sanctimonious Pretending to be more religiously observant or morally better than other people.
🌱The candidates' speeches were sanctimonious from beginning to end, filled with stories about how their deep faith was the basis for everything they did. 🌳Making a show of your religious morality has always struck some people the wrong way, including Jesus. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preaches that, when we give away money for charity, we shouldn't let our left hand know what our right hand is doing—that is, the giving should be done for its own sake and other people shouldn't be told about it. Those who make a display of how good and pious they are called hypocrites. But sanctimony, or sanctimoniousness, has often been a good strategy for American politicians, many of whom have found it a great way to win votes. sacrosanct 1、 Most sacred or holy.
2、 Treated as if holy and therefore immune from criticism or disturbance of any kind.
🌱Lots of experts have criticized the governor's education program, but it's regarded as sacrosanct by members of her own party. 🌳Sacrosanct means literally "made holy by a sacred rite," and in its original use the word was reserved for things of the utmost holiness. But sacrosanct is now used to describe a questionable sacredness which nevertheless makes something immune from attack or violation; that is, the person using the word usually doesn't regard the thing as sacred at all. So to call a government program sacrosanct is to imply that others regard it as untouchable. And a piece of writing is more likely to be thought of as sacrosanct by its author than by the editor who has to fix it up. sanctuary 1、 A holy place, such as a church or temple, or the most holy part of one.
2、 A place of safety, refuge, and protection.
🌱The midtown park is a tranquil sanctuary amidst the city's heat, noise, and bustle. 🌳Historically, churches have been places where fugitives could seek at least temporary protection from the law. In Anglo-Saxon England, churches and churchyards generally provided 40 days of immunity, and neither the sheriffs nor the army would enter to seize the outlaw. But gradually the right of sanctuary was eroded. In 1486 sanctuary for the crime of treason was disallowed, and sanctuary for most other crimes was severely restricted by Henry VIII and later abolished. In the 1980s many U.S. churches provided sanctuary to political refugees from Central America, and the U.S. government mostly chose not to interfere. Today, wildlife sanctuaries provide protection for the species within its boundaries, and farm-animal sanctuaries now rescue livestock from abuse and starvation.