holy /hōˈli/

1. Perfect in a moral sense
2. Pure in heart
3. Religious
4. Associated with God or gods
5. Set apart for a sacred use
6. Regarded with awe (often ironic)
7. Saintly
8. Sanctimonious, simulating holiness

A holy object, place or (obsolete) person

hoˈlily adverb

hoˈliness noun

1. Sanctity
2. (with cap) a title of the Pope and of patriarchs in Eastern Churches
3. (with cap) a title of respect applied in non-Christian religions to a person believed to have achieved a high degree of spiritual enlightenment

holydam, holydame or hollidam noun (Shakespeare)

, used for halidom

hoˈlier-than-thouˈ adjective

Offensively sanctimonious and patronizing

noun

1. Such an attitude
2. Someone who has such an attitude

hoˈly-ale noun

(conjectured in Shakespeare's Pericles I.1.6, for rhyme's sake) a church festival

Holy Alliance noun

A league formed after the fall of Napoleon (1815) by the sovereigns of Austria, Russia and Prussia, professedly to regulate all national and international relations in accordance with the principles of Christian charity

holy city noun

1. Depending upon religion: Jerusalem
2. Rome
3. Mecca
4. Benares
5. Allahabad, etc
6. (in Christianity) heaven

holy coat noun

The seamless robe of Jesus, claimed to be kept at Trier, Germany

hoˈly-cruˈel adjective (Shakespeare)

Cruel through holiness

holy day noun

A religious festival (see also holiday)

Holy Family noun

The infant Christ with Joseph, Mary, etc

Holy Ghost see Holy Spirit below.

holy grail see under grail¹

holy grass noun

A sweet-smelling grass sometimes strewn on church floors on festival days

holy Joe noun (slang)

1. A parson
2. A pious person

Holy Land noun

Biblical Palestine

Holy Office noun

1. The Inquisition
2. A former title of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the RC doctrinal court

holy of holies noun

1. The innermost chamber of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem
2. A very sacred place

Holy One noun

1. God
2. Christ
3. The one who is holy, by way of emphasis
4. A person, eg a monk, living a cloistered life in the service of God

holy orders see under order

Holy Roller noun (derogatory)

A preacher or follower of an extravagantly emotional religious sect

Holy Roman Empire noun

The unification of Europe with papal blessing, under a Christian emperor, 800–814AD and 962–1806AD

hoˈly-rood (as a place name /holˈ/) noun

1. Christ's cross
2. A cross, esp in Roman Catholic churches over the entrance to the chancel (for Holy-rood Day see under rood)

Holy Saturday noun

The Saturday before Easter Sunday

Holy See noun

The Roman Catholic bishopric of Rome, ie the Pope's see

Holy Sepulchre noun

The tomb in which the body of Christ was laid after the crucifixion

Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost noun

The third person of the Christian trinity

hoˈlystone noun

A sandstone used by seamen for cleansing the decks, said to be named from cleaning the decks for Sunday, or from kneeling in using it

transitive verb

To scrub with a holystone

holy terror noun (informal, esp joc)

A formidable person, or someone given to causing commotion or agitation

Holy Thursday noun

Maundy Thursday

holy war noun

1. A war waged for the eradication of heresy or a rival religion
2. A Crusade

holy water noun

Water blessed for religious uses

Holy Week noun

The week before Easter

Holy Willie noun

A religious hypocrite (after Burns's poem)

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