holy

See also: Holy, holý, Holý, and hồ ly

English

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhəʊli/
• (US) enPR: hōʹlē, IPA^(key): /ˈhoʊli/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊli
• Homophones: holey, wholly

Adjective

holy (comparative holier, superlative holiest)

1. Dedicated to a religious purpose or a god.

   I'm planning to visit the holy city of Jerusalem this Christmas.

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!

   Those children next door are holy terrors!

Synonyms

• (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

• (revered in a religion): profane, secular, unholy, worldly
• (perfect, flawless): damaged, defective, faulty, flawed, imperfect
• (set apart or dedicated for a specific purpose): common

Derived terms

Terms derived from holy

• holiest of holies
• holiness
• holy cats
• holy cow
• holy crap
• Holy Ghost
• Holy Grail
• Holy of Holies
• holy mackerel
• holy moly, holy moley
• holy Moses
• holy mother of God
• Holy See
• holy shit
• holy smoke
• holy snakes
• Holy Spirit
• holy Toledo
• Holy Trinity
• holy war
• holy water
• Holy Week
• Holywell

Related terms

• hallowed

Translations

dedicated to a religious purpose

• Albanian: shenjtë (sq)
• Arabic: مُقَدَّس m (muqaddas)

  Egyptian Arabic: مقدس (muʾaddas)

• Armenian: սուրբ (hy) (surb)
• Aromanian: sãntu, sãmtu
• Azerbaijani: müqəddəs
• Belarusian: святы́ (svjatý), свяшчэ́нны (svjaščénny)
• Bulgarian: свят (bg) (svjat), свеще́н (bg) (sveštén)
• Catalan: sagrat (ca), sagrada (ca) f, sant (ca) m, santa (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 神聖／神圣 (zh) (shénshèng), 神圣 (zh) (shénshèng), 聖／圣 (zh) (shèng), 圣 (zh) (shèng)

• Czech: svatý (cs)
• Dalmatian: suant
• Danish: hellig
• Dutch: heilig (nl), sacraal (nl), gewijd (nl)
• Egyptian: (ḏsr)
• Esperanto: sankta
• Estonian: puhä
• Faroese: heilagur, halgur
• Finnish: pyhä (fi)
• French: saint (fr), sacré (fr)
• Friulian: sant
• Galician: sagrado m, sacro (gl) m
• Georgian: წმინდა (c̣minda)
• German: heilig (de)
• Greek: άγιος (el) (ágios)

  Ancient: ἅγιος (hágios), ἱερός (hierós), ὅσιος (hósios)

• Greenlandic: illernartoq
• Hebrew: קדוש (he) m (ka'dosh), קדושה f (kdo'sha)
• Hidatsa: xubáa
• Hindi: पवित्र (hi) f (pavitra)
• Hungarian: szent (hu)
• Hunsrik: heilich
• Icelandic: heilagur (is), helgur
• Indonesian: kudus (id), keramat (id)
• Irish: beannaithe, naofa
• Istriot: santo
• Italian: sacro (it)
• Japanese: 神聖 (ja) (しんせい, shinsei), 聖なる (ja) (せいなる, sei naru)
• Korean: 거룩한 (ko) (georukhan), 신성한 (ko) (sinseonghan)
• Latin: sacer (la)
• Latvian: svēts (lv)
• Lithuanian: šventas
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Luxembourgish: helleg (lb)
• Macedonian: свет m (svet)
• Malay: suci (ms)
• Maori: tapu (mi)
• Mari:
• Navajo: diyin
• Norman: saint
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hellig (no)

• Occitan: sant (oc)

  Old Occitan: sant

• Old English: hāliġ
• Persian: مقدس (fa) (moqaddas), اسپنتا (espantâ), سپنتا (fa) (sepantâ)
• Polish: święty (pl) m
• Portuguese: santo (pt), sagrado (pt), sacro (pt)
• Rapa Nui: tapu
• Romanian: sfânt (ro) m or n, sfântă (ro) f
• Romansch: sontg, sogn, son, sench, sonch
• Russian: свято́й (ru) (svjatój), свяще́нный (ru) (svjaščénnyj)
• Sardinian: santu
• Scots: haly
• Scottish Gaelic: naomh, coisrigte
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: свет

  Roman: svet (sh)

• Sicilian: santu (scn)
• Slovak: svätý
• Slovene: svet (sl)
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: swěty

• Spanish: santo (es), sagrado (es)
• Swedish: helig (sv)
• Thai: ศักดิ์สิทธิ์ (th) (sàk sìt)
• Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: kutsal (tr), mukaddes (tr)
• Ukrainian: святи́й (svjatýj), свяще́нний (svjaščénnyj)
• Venetian: santo
• Vietnamese: thánh (vi) (聖), thần thánh (vi)
• Welsh: sanctaidd (cy)
• Yiddish: הייליק (heylik)
• Yup'ik: tanqilria

revered in a religion

• Armenian: սուրբ (hy) (surb)
• Belarusian: святы́ (svjatý), свяшчэ́нны (svjaščénny)
• Bulgarian: свят (bg) (svjat)
• Catalan: sant (ca)
• Czech: svatý (cs) m, posvátný (cs) m
• Dutch: heilig (nl), sacraal (nl)
• Faroese: heilagur
• Finnish: pyhä (fi)
• German: heilig (de)
• Greek: άγιος (el) (ágios)

  Ancient: ἅγιος (hágios)

• Greenlandic: iluartoq
• Indonesian: keramat (id)
• Irish: naofa
• Italian: santo (it)
• Lakota: wakȟáŋ
• Latin: sanctus (la), sacer (la)
• Macedonian: свет m (svet)
• Maori: tapu (mi)
• Navajo: diyin
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hellig (no)

• Old English: hāliġ
• Polish: święty (pl) m
• Portuguese: sagrado (pt) m, sacro (pt)
• Quechua: willka
• Romanian: sfânt (ro) m or n, sfântă (ro) f
• Russian: свято́й (ru) (svjatój), свяще́нный (ru) (svjaščénnyj)
• Scots: haly
• Scottish Gaelic: naomh
• Slovak: svätý
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: swěty

• Spanish: santo (es)
• Turkish: kutsal (tr)
• Ukrainian: святи́й (svjatýj), свяще́нний (svjaščénnyj)
• Welsh: sanctaidd (cy)

flawless

• Bulgarian: безупречен (bg) (bezuprečen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 聖潔／圣洁 (zh) (shèngjié), 圣洁 (zh) (shèngjié)

• Dutch: foutloos (nl), (in expression: ... huisje) heilig (nl), volmaakt (nl), perfect (nl)
• Finnish: pyhä (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: suci (id)
• Italian: immacolato (it)
• Portuguese: imaculado (pt)
• Russian: свято́й (ru) (svjatój)

separated from or set apart

• Catalan: sagrat (ca)
• Finnish: pyhitetty
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Rapa Nui: tapu

dedicated for a specific purpose

• Armenian: սուրբ (hy) (surb)
• Catalan: sagrat (ca)
• Dutch: heilig (nl)
• Finnish: pyhitetty
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: ιερός (el) (ierós)
• Hebrew: קדוש (he) m (ka'dosh), קדושה f (kdo'sha)
• Latin: sacer (la)
• Scottish Gaelic: coisrigte

slang intensifier

• Faroese: halga
• Finnish: pyhä (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: święty (pl) m
• Russian: свято́й (ru) (svjatój), бо́жий (ru) (bóžij)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Afrikaans: ^{(please verify)} heilig (af)
• Albanian: ^{(please verify)} shenjtë (sq)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} sankta
• French: ^{(please verify)} saint (fr) m, ^{(please verify)} sainte (fr) f
• German: ^{(please verify)} heilig (de)
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} szent (hu)
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 신성한 (sinseonghan)
• Kurdish:
• Maltese: ^{(please verify)} sagru m, ^{(please verify)} sagra f, ^{(please verify)} sagri pl, ^{(please verify)} mqaddes m, ^{(please verify)} mqaddsa f, ^{(please verify)} mqaddsin pl
• Old English: ^{(please verify)} hāliġ
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} sfânt (ro)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ^{(please verify)} свето n

  Latin: ^{(please verify)} sveto n

• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} svet (sh)
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} svet (sh)
• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} svet (sl)
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} helig (sv)
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} పవిత్రమైన (te) (pavitramaina), ^{(please verify)} పవిత్ర (pavitra)

Noun

holy (plural holies)

1. (archaic) A thing that is extremely holy; used almost exclusively in Holy of Holies.
   • 1882, Franz von Reber, Joseph Thacher Clarke, History of Ancient Art, 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

• holiest of holies
• Holy of Holies

Translations

holy thing

• Finnish: pyhä (fi)
• Hebrew: קדש (he) (kodesh)
• Macedonian: светиња f (svetinja), светост f (svetost)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: святы́ня (ru) f (svjatýnja)
• Swedish: helgedom (sv)

Anagrams

• hylo-

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Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English hāliġ, from Proto-Germanic *hailagaz; equivalent to hool +‎ -y.

Alternative forms

• hooly, holi, hooli, holye, holie, holly, hoolly, holli, hoolli, oly, oli, wholy, woly, hole, hali, haly, hayly, aly, ali, hale, hely, heli, holiȝ, holiȝe, holia, halge, halege, halȝe, hallȝhe, haliȝ, haliȝe, halie

Adjective

holy (plural and weak singular holye, comparative holyere, superlative holyest)

1. Dedicated to or separated for a religious purpose; sacred, consecrated.
2. Characterized by virtue or perfection.
   • 1407, The Testimony of William Thorpe, page 37:

     […] of moost holi lyuynge, and best taught and moost wyse of heuenly wysdom […]

     […] of the most holy living, and the best-taught and wisest heavenly wisdom […]

Related terms

• halyday
• halywater
• holibred
• Holigost
• holite
• holy crosse
• holy rode
• holy writ
• holyhede
• holyliche
• holynesse
• holyschupe
• lyfholy
• lyfholynesse
• pompholy
• popholy
• þurȝhali

 

Descendants

• English: holy
• Scots: haly, halie

Noun

holy (plural holies)

1. The state of being holy; holiness.
2. One who is sanctified or made holy; a saint, hallow
3. A sacred place; a sanctuary

Derived terms

• alle goddis holy
• holy of holies

Descendants

• holy

References

• “holi, adj. (2)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 4 August 2018.
• “holi, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 4 August 2018.

Etymology 2

From hol +‎ -y

Alternative forms

• holi, holly, holli

Adjective

holy

1. Full of holes or cavities; porous, spongy; hollow.

Derived terms

• holinesse

Descendants

• English: holey

References

• “holi, adj. (1)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 4 August 2018.