holy
Part of speech: adj
intj
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: From Middle English ali, aly, hale, halege, hali, halȝe, hayly, holi, holia, holie, holiȝ, holy, hooly, oli, oly, wholy, woly, from Old English hāleġ, hāliġ (“holy, sacred; healthy, sound”), from Proto-West Germanic *hailag, from Proto-Germanic *hailagaz (“holy, sacred”), from Proto-Germanic *hailaz (“healthy; whole”), from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos (“intact, whole; complete; hale, healthy, sound”), equivalent to whole + -y and a doublet of later wholly.
Cognates
Cognate with Scots halie, haly (“holy”), Yola holly, holy (“holy”), Saterland Frisian helig (“holy”), Alemannic German, Dutch, and German heilig (“holy, sacred”), Cimbrian hòolig (“holy”), Luxembourgish helleg (“holy”), Vilamovian haeliḱ, haliky, hȧlikjy, hǡliḱ (“holy”), Yiddish הייליק (heylik, “holy”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål hellig (“holy”), Faroese heilagur (“holy”), Icelandic heilagur, helgur (“holy”), Norwegian Nynorsk heilag, heilag’u (“holy”), Swedish helig (“holy”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌲𐍃 (hailags, “holy”); also Latin cael, caelus, caelum, coelus, coelum (“heaven; sky; climate, weather”), Belarusian цэ́лы (cély, “entire, whole”), Bulgarian цял (cjal, “entire, full, intact, whole; real, regular, veritable”), Czech and Slovak celý (“whole”), Macedonian цел (cel, “entire, whole”), Polish cały (“entire, whole”), Russian це́лый (célyj, “entire, whole”), Serbo-Croatian це̏о, ци̏јел, ци̏о, cȅo, cȉjel, cȉo (“entire, whole”), Slovene cel (“whole”), Ukrainian ці́лий (cílyj, “entire, whole”). More at whole.
Base: whole
Affixes: -y
Inflected forms:
form: holier
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: holiest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: holie
pos: adj
tags: alternative
archaic
form: hooly
pos: adj
tags: alternative
archaic
form: Holy
pos: adj
tags: alternative
capitalized
form: 'oly
pos: adj
tags: alternative
pronunciation-spelling
form: holie
pos: intj
tags: alternative
archaic
form: hooly
pos: intj
tags: alternative
archaic
form: Holy
pos: intj
tags: alternative
capitalized
form: 'oly
pos: intj
tags: alternative
pronunciation-spelling
Senses:
gloss: Dedicated to a religious purpose or a god.
pos: adj
examples: I'm planning to visit the holy city of Jerusalem this Christmas.
... where he and Basil read together poems and philosophies, and holier things, or talked low and misopogonistcally of their fellow-student Julian’s bearded boding smile were his happiest days.
The growing sense that more and more religious Jews are now worshiping openly at the holy site was given support by a report over the weekend on Israel’s Channel 12, which broadcast footage of Jewish prayer sessions and Torah lessons it said were being held there daily.
“Through the Sacraments, God shares his holiness with us so that we, in turn, can make the world holier,” the conference says on its website.
On Tuesday, a month since they were abducted, families of those kidnapped are expected to protest at the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem, the holiest site in Judaism, as well as at the Knesset, over what they say are inadequate efforts to reach a deal with Hamas to release their loved ones.
gloss: Revered in a religion.
pos: adj
examples: This tree is considered holy in my culture.
gloss: Morally perfect or flawless, or nearly so.
pos: adj
examples: My grandmother is a very holy woman.
gloss: Separated or set apart from (something unto something or someone else).
pos: adj
gloss: Set apart or dedicated for a specific purpose, or for use by a single entity or person.
pos: adj
gloss: Used as an intensifier in various interjections.
pos: adj
tags: slang
examples: Holy cow, I can’t believe he actually lost the race!
Those children next door are holy terrors!
Holy mackerel
gloss: An expression of astonishment and awe.
pos: intj
tags: slang
Synonyms: blessed
celestial
devoutful
divine
hallowed
heavenly
holy
godly
sacred
sanctimonious
Antonyms: profane
secular
unhallowed
unholy
worldly
Related words: halibut
halidom
hallow
hallowed
holiday
holily
holiness
Derived words: 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
Holiness
holinight
holy balls
holy bark
holy based
holy basil
Holy Bible
Holy Blood
Holy Body
holy bone
Holy Book
Holybourne
Holy Bread
Holybrook
holy bucket
holy buckets
holy cannoli
holy card
holy carp
holy catfish
holy cats
Holycaust
Holy Church
Holy Communion
Holy Corner
holy cow
holy crap
holy crap on a cracker
holy crap on a stick
holy cricket
holy crickets
Holy Cross
Holycross
holy cross
holy cross frog
holy crow
holy crud
holy damn
holy day
holyday
holy day of obligation
holy doodle
Holy Eucharist
Holy Family
Holy Father
Holyfield
holy fire
holy flax
holy fool
Holy Foreskin
Holy Friday
holy fuck
holy fudge
holy genocide
Holy Ghost
holy grail
Holy Grail
holy grass
holy guacamole
holy hand grenade
holy Hannah
Holyhead
holy hell
holy hour
holyish
Holy Island
holy kamoley
holy kamoly
Holy Koran
Holy Liturgy
Holy Loch
holy macaroni
holy mackerel
holy man
holy matrimony
holy moley
holy moly
Holy Monday
holy Moses
Holy Mother
Holy Mother Church
holy mother of based
Holy Mother of God
Holyoak
holy orders
holy piss
holy poke
Holy Prepuce
Holy Quran
Holy Qur'an
Holy Qurbana
Holy Qurbono
Holy Qur’an
holy ravioli
Holy Redeemer
Holy Roman Empire
holy rood
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
holy year
in the name of all that is holy
Mount of the Holy Cross
nonholy
overholy
pope-holy
Stoke Holy Cross
take holy orders
holiest of holies
Holy of Holies
Translations:
lang: Aghwan
word: 𐕌𐕒𐕡𐕟𐕒𐕡𐕙
roman: muc̣'ur
lang: Albanian
word: shenjtë
lang: Amharic
word: ቅዱስ
roman: ḳədus
lang: Arabic
word: مُقَدَّس
roman: muqaddas
lang: Arabic
word: مقدس
roman: muʔaddas
lang: Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
word: ܩܕܝܫܐ
roman: qadīšā
lang: Armenian
word: սուրբ
roman: surb
lang: Aromanian
word: sãntu
lang: Aromanian
word: sãmtu
lang: Azerbaijani
word: müqəddəs
lang: Bashkir
word: мөҡәддәс
roman: möqəddəs
lang: Belarusian
word: святы́
roman: svjatý
lang: Belarusian
word: свяшчэ́нны
roman: svjaščénny
lang: Bulgarian
word: свят
roman: svjat
lang: Bulgarian
word: свеще́н
roman: sveštén
lang: Catalan
word: sagrat
lang: Catalan
word: sant
lang: Chagatai
word: مقدس
roman: mqds
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 神聖 /神圣
roman: shénshèng
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 聖 /圣
roman: shèng
lang: Cornish
word: sans
lang: Czech
word: svatý
lang: Dalmatian
word: suant
lang: Danish
word: hellig
lang: Dutch
word: heilig
lang: Dutch
word: sacraal
lang: Dutch
word: gewijd
lang: Egyptian
word: Dsr:r
roman: ḏsr
lang: Esperanto
word: sankta
lang: Estonian
word: püha
lang: Faroese
word: heilagur
lang: Faroese
word: halgur
lang: Finnish
word: pyhä
lang: French
word: saint
lang: French
word: sacré
lang: Friulian
word: sant
lang: Galician
word: sacro
lang: Galician
word: sagrado
lang: Ge'ez
word: ቅዱስ
roman: ḳədus
lang: Georgian
word: წმინდა
roman: c̣minda
lang: German
word: heilig
lang: Gothic
word: 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍃
roman: weihs
lang: Greek
word: άγιος
roman: ágios
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ἅγιος
roman: hágios
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ἱερός
roman: hierós
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ὅσιος
roman: hósios
lang: Greenlandic
word: illernartoq
lang: Hebrew
word: קדוש \ קָדוֹשׁ
roman: kadósh
lang: Hidatsa
word: xubáa
lang: Hindi
word: पवित्र
roman: pavitra
lang: Hungarian
word: szent
lang: Hunsrik
word: heilich
lang: Icelandic
word: heilagur
lang: Icelandic
word: helgur
lang: Indonesian
word: kudus
lang: Indonesian
word: keramat
lang: Irish
word: beannaithe
lang: Irish
word: naofa
lang: Istriot
word: santo
lang: Italian
word: sacro
lang: Japanese
word: 神聖
roman: shinsei
lang: Japanese
word: 聖なる
roman: sei naru
lang: Kashubian
word: swiãti
lang: Korean
word: 거룩한
roman: georukhan
lang: Korean
word: 신성한
roman: sinseonghan
lang: Kyrgyz
word: ыйык
roman: ıyık
lang: Latin
word: sacer
lang: Latvian
word: svēts
lang: Lithuanian
word: šventas
lang: Luxembourgish
word: helleg
lang: Macedonian
word: свет
roman: svet
lang: Malay
word: suci
lang: Malayalam
word: പരിശുദ്ധ
roman: pariśuddha
lang: Malayalam
word: വിശുദ്ധ
roman: viśuddha
lang: Māori
word: tapu
lang: Mari
word: шнуй
roman: šnuj
lang: Navajo
word: diyin
lang: Norman
word: saint
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: hellig
lang: Norwegian Nynorsk
word: heilag
lang: Occitan
word: sant
lang: Occitan
word: sacrat
lang: Old Occitan
word: sant
lang: Church Slavic
word: свѧтъ
roman: svętŭ
lang: Church Slavic
word: ⱄⰲⱔⱅⱏ
roman: svętŭ
lang: Old English
word: hāliġ
lang: Old English
word: hāleġ
lang: Persian
word: مقدس
roman: moqaddas
lang: Persian
word: اسپنتا
roman: espantâ
lang: Persian
word: سپنتا
roman: sepantâ
lang: Plautdietsch
word: heilich
lang: Polish
word: święty
lang: Portuguese
word: santo
lang: Portuguese
word: sagrado
lang: Portuguese
word: sacro
lang: Rapa Nui
word: tapu
lang: Romanian
word: sfânt
lang: Romansh
word: sontg
lang: Romansh
word: sogn
lang: Romansh
word: son
lang: Romansh
word: sench
lang: Romansh
word: sonch
lang: Russian
word: свято́й
roman: svjatój
lang: Russian
word: свяще́нный
roman: svjaščénnyj
lang: Sardinian
word: santu
lang: Scots
word: haly
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: naomh
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: coisrigte
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: свет
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: svet
lang: Sicilian
word: santu
lang: Slovak
word: svätý
lang: Slovene
word: svet
lang: Lower Sorbian
word: swěty
lang: Spanish
word: santo
lang: Spanish
word: sagrado
lang: Spanish
word: sacro
lang: Swedish
word: helig
lang: Tatar
word: мөкаддәс
roman: möqäddäs
lang: Thai
word: ศักดิ์สิทธิ์
roman: sàk sìt
lang: Turkish
word: kutsal
lang: Turkish
word: mukaddes
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: مقدس
roman: mukaddes
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: شریف
roman: şerif
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: عزیز
roman: ʼazîz
lang: Turkmen
word: mukaddes
lang: Ugaritic
word: 𐎖𐎄𐎌
roman: qdš
lang: Ukrainian
word: святи́й
roman: svjatýj
lang: Ukrainian
word: свяще́нний
roman: svjaščénnyj
lang: Urdu
word: مقدس
roman: muqaddas
lang: Uyghur
word: مۇقەددەس
roman: muqeddes
lang: Uzbek
word: muqaddas
lang: Venetan
word: santo
lang: Vietnamese
word: thánh
lang: Vietnamese
word: thần thánh
lang: Welsh
word: sanctaidd
lang: Yiddish
word: הייליק
roman: heylik
lang: Yup'ik
word: tanqilria
lang: Catalan
word: sagrat
lang: Finnish
word: pyhitetty
lang: Rapa Nui
word: tapu