a tree kingfisher, Todiramphus sanctus, that inhabits Australian forests.

(idiomatic) Something which cannot be tampered with, or criticized, for fear of public outcry. A person, institution, belief system, etc. which, for no reason other than the demands of established social etiquette or popular opinion, should be accorded respect or reverence, and not touched, handled or examined too closely.

In Australian Aboriginal culture, restricted to initiated men, or to women; not public knowledge.

The Egyptian scarab.

plural of sacred beetle

Nelumbo nucifera, native in temperate and subtropical Asia, from India to Japan.

(Christianity) The physical heart of Christ, adored with special devotion by Roman Catholics since the 18th century.

A species of fir, Abies religiosa, native to the mountains of central and southern Mexico and western Guatemala.

Threskiornis aethiopicus, a species of wading bird of the ibis family, Threskiornithidae, which breeds in sub-Saharan Africa, southeastern Iraq and formerly in Egypt, where it was venerated and often mummified as a symbol of the god Thoth.

plural of sacred way