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holy

 - 4 dictionary results

ho⋅ly

  [hoh-lee] adjective, -li⋅er, -li⋅est, noun, plural -lies.
Use holy in a Sentence
–adjective
1. specially recognized as or declared sacred by religious use or authority; consecrated: holy ground.
2. dedicated or devoted to the service of God, the church, or religion: a holy man.
3. saintly; godly; pious; devout: a holy life.
4. having a spiritually pure quality: a holy love.
5. entitled to worship or veneration as or as if sacred: a holy relic.
6. religious: holy rites.
7. inspiring fear, awe, or grave distress: The director, when angry, is a holy terror.
–noun
8. a place of worship; sacred place; sanctuary.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME holi, OE hālig, var. of hāleg, equiv. to hāl whole + -eg -y 1 ; c. D, G heilig, ON heilagr

Synonyms:
1. blessed. Holy, sacred, consecrated, hallowed imply possession of a sanctity that is the object of religious veneration. Holy refers to the divine, that which has its sanctity directly from God or is connected with Him: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Something that is sacred, while sometimes accepted as entitled to religious veneration, may have its sanctity from human authority: a sacred oath. Something that is consecrated is specially or formally dedicated to some religious use: a life consecrated to service. Something that is hallowed has been made holy by being worshiped: a hallowed shrine. 4. spiritual.

Antonyms:
3, 4. corrupt, impious.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To holy
ho·ly   (hō'lē)   
adj.   ho·li·er, ho·li·est

  1. Belonging to, derived from, or associated with a divine power; sacred.

  2. Regarded with or worthy of worship or veneration; revered: a holy book.

  3. Living according to a strict or highly moral religious or spiritual system; saintly: a holy person.

  4. Specified or set apart for a religious purpose: a holy place.

  5. Solemnly undertaken; sacrosanct: a holy pledge.

  6. Regarded as deserving special respect or reverence: The pursuit of peace is our holiest quest.

  7. Informal Used as an intensive: raised holy hell over the mischief their children did.


[Middle English holi, from Old English hālig; see kailo- in Indo-European roots.]
ho'li·ly adv., ho'li·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

holy 
O.E. halig "holy," from P.Gmc. *khailagas (cf. O.N. heilagr, Ger. heilig, Goth. hailags "holy"), adopted at conversion for L. sanctus. Primary (pre-Christian) meaning is not impossible to determine, but it was probably "that must be preserved whole or intact, that cannot be transgressed or violated," and connected with O.E. hal (see health) and O.H.G. heil "health, happiness, good luck" (source of the Ger. salutation heil). Use of Holy Land for "western Palestine" dates to 1297. Holy water was in O.E. Holy smoke (1889), holy mackerel (1903), etc., all euphemisms for holy Christ. Phrase holier-than-thou in reference to supercilious sanctimony first recorded 1912 in writings of Theodore Dreiser.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

holy

the power, being, or realm understood by religious persons to be at the core of existence and to have a transformative effect on their lives and destinies. Other terms, such as holy, divine, transcendent, ultimate being (or reality), mystery, and perfection (or purity) have been used for this domain. "Sacred" is also an important technical term in the scholarly study and interpretation of religions

Learn more about holy with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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