sacr/sanct

holy; sacred

Spelled sacr, sanct · Latin sacer 'sacred'; sanctus 'holy', from sancire 'make sacred, establish solemnly'

Latin sacer meant 'sacred': a sanctuary is sacred ground, sacrifice makes an offering sacred, and sacrilege violates what is holy.

Words built from it

sacrosanct — treated as too important or sacred to question or change
Latin sacro (by a sacred rite) + sanctus (made holy) → sacrosanctus (inviolable)
sanctimonious — making a show of being morally superior
Latin sanctus (holy) → sanctimonia (holiness) + -ous (having a quality)
desecrate — damage or disrespect something sacred
de- (reverse, remove) + Latin sacrare (make holy), from sacer (sacred) → desecrate
sacrifice — an offering to a deity, or something given up for a greater purpose
Latin sacer (sacred) + facere (make) → sacrificium (a sacred offering), through French
sanctuary — a sacred place or a place of protection
Latin sanctus (holy) + -arium (place) → sanctuarium (a sacred place)
consecrate — formally dedicate to a sacred purpose
con- (intensive) + Latin sacrare (make sacred) → consecrare (dedicate as sacred)
sacrilege — serious disrespect toward something sacred
Latin sacer (sacred) + legere (take, gather) → sacrilegus (temple robber) → sacrilegium (temple robbery), through French
sanction — official approval, or a penalty used to enforce a rule
Latin sancire (establish solemnly, make binding) → sanct- + -ion → sanctio (a binding decree)

massacre — Contains sacr, but comes from Old French macacre (butchery, slaughter); no relation to Latin sacer (holy).