shrine, secularism, prophecy, pilgrim, conscience: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Advanced set 14. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. shrine · noun/ʃraɪn/

   a place built to remember a particular person or event, often religious

   In ancient Greece, there used to be a sacred shrine where a god or goddess was said to reveal the future through a priest.

   Synonyms: holy place, temple, place of worship

   Origin: Old English scrīn ‘cabinet, chest, reliquary’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch schrijn and German Schrein, from Latin scrinium ‘chest for books’

2. secularism · noun/ˈsɛkjələˌrɪz(ə)m/

   the principle that government and public institutions should be separate from religious authority

   In the spirit of secularism, managers decided to send out cards wishing everyone ¨Happy Holidays¨ instead of ¨Merry Christmas,¨ so as to respect the religious diversity of their employees.

   Synonyms: non-religious

3. prophecy · noun/ˈprɑfəsi/

   knowledge of the future often said to be obtained from a divine source

   Many believed that the ancient Aztec calendar carried a prophecy that would come true in the year 2012 in the form of some global change.

   Synonyms: prediction

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French profecie, via late Latin from Greek prophēteia, from prophētēs (see prophet)

4. pilgrim · noun/ˈpɪlɡrəm/

   someone who travels to a sacred place, often as a religious act

   Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal, is one of the largest Buddhist monuments in the world, attracting flocks of both pilgrims and tourists every year.

   Synonyms: worshipper

   Origin: Middle English: from Provençal pelegrin, from Latin peregrinus ‘foreign’ (see peregrine)

5. conscience · noun/ˈkɑnʃəns/

   the inner sense that tells you whether your actions are right or wrong

   The protest was a matter of conscience to support the workers who had been suffering inhumane conditions at the factory.

   Synonyms: morality, inner voice

   Origin: Middle English (also in the sense ‘inner thoughts or knowledge’): via Old French from Latin conscientia, from conscient- ‘being privy to’, from the verb conscire, from con- ‘with’ + scire ‘know’