• Holy

    Pronunciation

    • US IPA: /ˈhəʊli/
    • US enPR: hōʹlÄ“, IPA: /ˈhoÊŠli/
    • Rhymes: -əʊli
    • Homophones: holey, wholly

    Origin

    From Middle English holi, hali, from Old English hāliġ, hāleġ ("holy, consecrated, sacred, venerated, godly, saintly, ecclesiastical, pacific, tame"), from Proto-Germanic *hailagaz ("holy, bringing health"), from Proto-Germanic *hailaz ("healthy, whole"), from Proto-Indo-European *kóh₂ilus ("healthy, whole"), equivalent to whole + -y. Cognate with Scots haly ("holy"), West Frisian hillich ("holy"), Low German hillig ("holy"), Dutch heilig ("holy"), German heilig ("holy"), Danish hellig ("holy"), Swedish helig ("holy"). More at whole.

    Full definition of holy

    Adjective

    holy

    1. Dedicated to a religious purpose or a god.I'm planning to visit the holy city of Mecca this Ramadan.
    2. Revered in a religion.
    3. Perfect or flawless.
    4. Separated or set apart from (something unto something or someone else).
    5. Set apart or dedicated for a specific purpose, or for use by a single entity or person.
    6. (slang) Used as an intensifier in various interjections.Holy cow, I can’t believe he actually lost the race!

    Synonyms

    Antonyms

    Derived terms

    terms derived from holythese are derived from "holiness":

    Noun

    holy

    (plural holies)
    1. (archaic) A thing that is extremely holy; used almost exclusively in Holy of Holies.
      • Franz von Reber, Joseph Thacher Clarke, History of Ancient Art (1882) p. 146:The holy of holies, a cubical space of ten cubits on the side, was separated from the larger antechamber by four columns, which were also covered with gold and stood upon silver sockets; they bore a second curtain of four colors.

    Derived terms

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