Sanctimonious (Adjective)

Definition 1: Making a show of piety, sanctity; pretending to be pious or religious.

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Usage 1: "Sanctity" or "sanctitude" refer to a saint-like holiness or moral perfection in a person. "Sanctimony," the noun underlying today's adjective, was once a synonym but today refers to a feigned sanctity, a saint-like pretension of superiority. Today's adjective, "sanctimonious," is the perfect substitute for the messy slang phrase "holier-than-thou." Make the substitution in your vocabulary today if you have ever uttered it! The adverb is "sanctimoniously." An interesting distant relative is sanctiloquent "speaking things holy, sacred."

Suggested usage: We can always suggest you use this word as Shakespeare used it in 'Measure for Measure' act I, scene 7, "Thou conclud'st like the Sanctimonious Pirat, that went to sea with the ten Commandements, but scrap'd one out of the Table." Update the context, of course, "My boss is a sanctimonious pirate who quotes the Bible as justification for forcing us to work longer and harder."

Etymology: From Latin sanctimonia "sanctity, virtuousness," based on sanct-us "holy" + monia "-ness." "Sanctus" comes from PIE *sak- "sacred" which emerges in "sacred," "sexton," and "consecrate." Nasalized (with the [n] in it), we find it in "saint," "sanctum," and today's word. "Sanctus" underlies all the Romance words for "saint," i.e. French "saint," Spanish "san," as in "San Francisco," Portuguese "são." The rather odd "Santa Claus," the nickname of Saint Nicholas with the ostensibly feminine form of the word for "saint," probably originated in Dutch "Sinterklaas." The suffix -monia shares its origin with the suffix -ment, originally referring to the mind (Latin "mens, mentis," as in "mental"). (For more PIE, see out FAQ sheet, remembering that our gratitude to Burt Clawson, Salt Lake City, Utah, for suggesting today's word is sincere and without sanctimony.)

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