holy
English
editAlternative forms
edit- holie, hooly (archaic)
- Holy (when referring to someone or something important)
- 'oly (pronunciation spelling)
Etymology
editInherited from Middle English holi, hali, from Old English hāliġ, hāleġ (“holy, consecrated, sacred, venerated, godly, saintly, ecclesiastical, pacific, tame”), from Proto-West Germanic *hailag, from Proto-Germanic *hailagaz (“holy, bringing health”), from Proto-Germanic *hailaz (“healthy, whole”), from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos (“healthy, whole”), equivalent to whole + -y and a doublet of later wholly.
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- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈhəʊli/
- (US) enPR: hōʹlē, IPA(key): /ˈhoʊli/
Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -əʊli
- Homophones: wholly, holey (in accents without the wholly-holy split)
Adjective
editholy (comparative holier, superlative holiest)
- Dedicated to a religious purpose or a god.
- I'm planning to visit the holy city of Jerusalem this Christmas.
- Revered in a religion.
- This tree is considered holy in my culture.
- Morally perfect or flawless, or nearly so.
- My grandmother is a very holy woman.
- Separated or set apart from (something unto something or someone else). (Can we add an example for this sense?)
- 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!
- Those children next door are holy terrors!
Synonyms
edit- (dedicated to a religious purpose or a god): sacred, godly
- (revered in a religion): sacred, godly
- (perfect, flawless): faultless, flawless, perfect
- (separated or set apart from something): sanctified
- (set apart or dedicated for a specific purpose): reserved, special
Antonyms
edit- (antonym(s) of “revered in a religion”): profane, secular, unholy, worldly
- (antonym(s) of “perfect, flawless”): damaged, defective, faulty, flawed, imperfect
- (antonym(s) of “set apart or dedicated for a specific purpose”): common
Derived terms
edit- by the holy poker
- court holy bread
- court holy water
- Five Holy Wounds
- for the love of all that is holy
- holier-than-thou
- holier than thou
- holiest of holies
- holiness
- Holiness
- holy balls
- holy bark
- holy based
- holy basil
- Holy Bible
- Holy Blood
- holy based
- holy hand grenade
- holy mother of based
- holy year
- Holy Body
- holy bone
- Holybourne
- Holybrook
- holy cannoli
- holy card
- holy carp
- holy catfish
- holy cats
- Holy Communion
- Holy Corner
- holy cow
- holy crap
- holy crap on a cracker
- holy crap on a stick
- holy cricket
- holy crickets
- Holy Cross
- holy cross
- Holycross
- holy cross frog
- holy crow
- holy damn
- holyday
- holy day
- holy day of obligation
- holy doodle
- Holy Eucharist
- Holy Family
- holy fire
- holy flax
- holy fool
- Holy Foreskin
- Holy Friday
- holy fuck
- holy fudge
- Holy Ghost
- holy grail
- Holy Grail
- holy grass
- holy guacamole
- holy Hannah
- Holyhead
- holy hell
- holy hour
- Holy Island
- holy kamoley
- holy kamoly
- Holy Koran
- Holy Liturgy
- Holy Loch
- holy macaroni
- holy mackerel
- holy man
- holy moley
- holy moly
- Holy Monday
- holy Moses
- Holy Mother
- Holy Mother Church
- Holy Mother of God
- Holyoak
- Holy of Holies
- holy orders
- holy piss
- holy poke
- Holy Prepuce
- Holy Quran
- Holy Qur'an
- Holy Qur’an
- Holy Qurbana
- Holy Qurbono
- holy ravioli
- Holy Roman Empire
- holy rood
- Holyrood
- holy sabbath
- holy Sabbath
- Holy Sabbath
- Holy Sacrifice
- Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
- Holy Saturday
- holy scripture
- holy Scripture
- Holy Scripture
- holy scriptures
- holy Scriptures
- Holy Scriptures
- Holy See
- Holy Sepulcher
- Holy Sepulchre
- holy shamoley
- holy shit
- holy shmoly
- holy show
- Holy Shroud
- holy smoke
- holy smokes
- holy snakes
- holy spirit
- Holy Spirit
- holystone
- holy stromboli
- Holy Sunday
- Holy Sunday Church
- holy synod
- Holy Synod
- holy terror
- Holy Thursday
- holy Toledo
- holy trinity
- holy Trinity
- Holy Trinity
- Holy Tuesday
- holy unblack metal
- Holy Vedas
- holy war
- holy water
- holy-water sprinkle
- holy water sprinkler
- Holy Wednesday
- Holy Week
- Holywell
- Holywood
- holy writ
- Holy Writ
- in the name of all that is holy
- Mount of the Holy Cross
- pope-holy
- Stoke Holy Cross
- take holy orders
Related terms
editTranslations
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
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Interjection
editholy
- (slang) An expression of astonishment and awe.
- Synonym: holy shit
Usage notes
edit- (MTE) When spoken aloud, the first syllable is elongated ("Hoooly!") and stress is placed on the second syllable.
Noun
editholy (plural holies)
- (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, page 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
editTranslations
editAnagrams
editMiddle English
editEtymology 1
editInherited from Old English hāliġ, from Proto-West Germanic *hailag, from Proto-Germanic *hailagaz; equivalent to hool + -y.
Alternative forms
edit- 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
editholy (plural and weak singular holye, comparative holyere, superlative holyest)
- Dedicated to or separated for a religious purpose; sacred, consecrated.
- 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
editDescendants
editNoun
editholy (plural holies)
- The state of being holy; holiness.
- One who is sanctified or made holy; a saint, hallow
- A sacred place; a sanctuary
Derived terms
editDescendants
edit- English: holy
References
edit- “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
editAlternative forms
editAdjective
editholy
Derived terms
editDescendants
edit- English: holey
References
edit- “holi, adj.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 4 August 2018.
Yola
editAdjective
editholy
- Alternative form of holly
- 1867, “THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 6, page 96:
- To our pleoughès an mulk-pylès till a neeshte holy die.
- To our ploughs and our milk-pails till the next holiday.
References
edit- Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 96
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms suffixed with -y
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/əʊli
- Rhymes:English/əʊli/2 syllables
- English terms with homophones
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English slang
- English interjections
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with archaic senses
- English terms with quotations
- English intensifiers
- Middle English terms inherited from Old English
- Middle English terms derived from Old English
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms suffixed with -y
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English adjectives
- Middle English terms with quotations
- Middle English nouns
- enm:Religion
- Yola lemmas
- Yola adjectives
- Yola terms with quotations