Mecca
noun/ˈmɛkə/
Etymology From Arabic مَكَّة (Makka) of uncertain etymology. In American place names, in reference to the Arabian city.
1
Figuratively, Offensive, Sometimes Any place considered to be a very important place to visit by people with a particular interest.
- It was consequently the “Mecca,” the “Delphic Oracle,” the “Vale of Egeria,” to which all studious pilgrims should resort to drink of the pure springs of knowledge; […]1826, “Sketches of the Medical Schools of Scotland”, in The Lancet, volume 11, page 254:
- By one o'clock the place was choc-a-bloc. […] The restaurant was packed, and the promenade between the two main courts and the subsidiary courts was thronged with healthy-looking youngish people, drawn to the Mecca of tennis from all parts of the country.1935, George Goodchild, chapter 5, in Death on the Centre Court:
4 more examples
- Tsuhu, or Lake Benevolence, is located in Fuhsing District, Taoyuan County, and formed by waters from the Tahan Creek (river). Its two sections of limpid water are enclosed within emerald green hills. When he was alive, the late President often came here as a place of retreat and meditation. It had been for this reason that his casket was moved here for temporary rest. The place has since become a Mecca for people all over the world to come and pay homage to Modern China's greatest leader.1981, A Pictorial History of the Republic of China: Its Founding and Development, volume II, Taipei: Modern China Press, →OCLC, page 558:
- On the other side of the Atlantic, stores in Paris's chic Avenue Montaigne, a mecca for Japanese tourists, said that sales to foreigners had fallen sharply.1991, The Economist Newspaper Ltd., The Economist:
- Living in Venice, California and training at the Mecca of bodybuilding, Gold's Gym, I've seen some of the world's most dedicated and hard-training athletes.1997, John Romano, Muscle Meals, page 14:
- I say how much I like the shabby lounge atmosphere of a ruin pub, and Laura declares that this one, Szimpla Kert (which means “Simple Garden”), is the mecca of ruin pubs.2014, Rick Steves, Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2015: The Travel Skills Handbook, Avalon Travel, →ISBN, page 705: