holy
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
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”). 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.
Pronunciation [edit]
- (US) IPA: /ˈhəʊli/, X-SAMPA: /"h@Uli/
- (US) enPR: hōʹlē, IPA: /ˈhoʊli/, X-SAMPA: /"hoUli/
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Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -əʊli
- Homophones: holey, wholly
Adjective [edit]
holy (comparative holier, superlative holiest)
- Dedicated to a religious purpose or a god.
- Revered in a religion.
- Perfect or flawless.
- Separated or set apart from (something unto something or someone else).
- Set apart or dedicated for a specific purpose, or for use by a single entity or person.
- (slang) Used as an intensifier in various interjections.
- Holy cow, I can’t believe he actually lost the race!
Synonyms [edit]
- (dedicated to a religious purpose or a god): sacred
- (revered in a religion): sacred
- (perfect, flawless): faultless, flawless, perfect
- (separated or set apart from something):: sanctified
- (set apart or dedicated for a specific purpose): reserved, special
Antonyms [edit]
- (dedicated to a religious purpose or a god):
- (revered in a religion): profane, secular, unholy, worldly
- (perfect, flawless): damaged, defective, faulty, flawed, imperfect
- (separated or set apart from something):
- (set apart or dedicated for a specific purpose): common
Derived terms [edit]
terms derived from holy
Translations [edit]
dedicated to a religious purpose
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revered in a religion
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flawless
dedicated for a specific purpose
slang intensifier
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
Noun [edit]
holy (plural holies)
- (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.
- Franz von Reber, Joseph Thacher Clarke, History of Ancient Art (1882) p. 146:
