halidom

English

Alternative forms

• halidome
• halidame, holidame (erroneous)
• hollidam
• holydam, holydame

Etymology

From Middle English halidom, haliȝdom, from Old English hāliġdōm (“holiness, righteousness, sanctity; holy place, sanctuary, chapel; relics, holy things; holy office; sacrament; holy doctrines”), corresponding to holy +‎ -dom. Cognate with Dutch heiligdom (“sanctuary, shrine”), German Heiligtum (“sanctuary, shrine, holy relic”), Swedish helgedom (“shrine, sanctuary, temple, sanctum”), Icelandic helgidómur (“sanctuary, holy relic”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhælɪdəm/

Noun

halidom (plural halidoms)

1. (obsolete) Holiness; sanctity; sacred honour.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Edmund Spenser to this entry?)

   • 1987, Poul and Karen Anderson, The King of Ys‎^[1] (SciFi), page 422:

     Now he's put the final seal on his Kingship, his halidom, by slaying a challenger in the Wood.

2. (archaic) A sanctuary; lands held of a religious foundation.
   • 1983, Poul Anderson, Time Patrolman (SciFi), Tom Doherty Associates, →ISBN:

     … save for Wodan, who had a richly bedecked halidom nearby.

3. (archaic) Something regarded as sacred; a holy relic.
   • 1819, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe:

     “By my halidom,” said he, “we have forgotten, Sir Prior, to name the fair Sovereign of Love and of Beauty, by whose white hand the palm is to be distributed.”

Anagrams

• holidam