holy

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: ho=ly
• COUNT in NET: 648 in 582 verses (in OT : 462 in 409 verses) (in NT : 186 in 173 verses)

CIDE DICTIONARY

holy, a. [OE. holi, hali, AS. hālig, fr. hæl health, salvation, happiness, fr. hāl whole, well; akin to OS. hlag, D. & G. heilig, OHG. heilac, Dan. hellig, Sw. helig, Icel. heilagr. See Whole, and cf. Halibut, Halidom, Hallow, Hollyhock.].

•  Set apart to the service or worship of God; hallowed; sacred; reserved from profane or common use; holy vessels; a holy priesthood.  Milton.  [1913 Webster]
•  Spiritually whole or sound; of unimpaired innocence and virtue; free from sinful affections; pure in heart; godly; pious; irreproachable; guiltless; acceptable to God.  [1913 Webster]

  "Now through her round of holy thought
  The Church our annual steps has brought."  [1913 Webster]

Holy Alliance (Hist.), a league ostensibly for conserving religion, justice, and peace in Europe, but really for repressing popular tendencies toward constitutional government, entered into by Alexander I. of Russia, Francis I. of Austria, and Frederic William III. of Prussia, at Paris, on the 26th of September, 1815, and subsequently joined by all the sovereigns of Europe, except the pope and the king of England. -- Holy bark. See Cascara sagrada. -- Holy Communion. See Eucharist. -- Holy family (Art), a picture in which the infant Christ, his parents, and others of his family are represented. -- Holy Father, a title of the pope. -- Holy Ghost (Theol.), the third person of the Trinity; the Comforter; the Paraclete. -- Holy Grail. See Grail. -- Holy grass (Bot.), a sweet-scented grass (Hierochloa borealis and Hierochloa alpina). In the north of Europe it was formerly strewed before church doors on saints' days; whence the name. It is common in the northern and western parts of the United States. Called also vanilla grass or Seneca grass. -- Holy Innocents' day, Childermas day. -- Holy Land, Palestine, the birthplace of Christianity. -- Holy office, the Inquisition. -- Holy of holies (Script.), the innermost apartment of the Jewish tabernacle or temple, where the ark was kept, and where no person entered, except the high priest once a year. -- Holy One. (a) The Supreme Being; -- so called by way of emphasis. “ The Holy One of Israel.” Is. xliii. 14. (b) One separated to the service of God. -- Holy orders. See Order. -- Holy rood, the cross or crucifix, particularly one placed, in churches. over the entrance to the chancel. -- Holy rope, a plant, the hemp agrimony. -- Holy Saturday (Eccl.), the Saturday immediately preceding the festival of Easter; the vigil of Easter. -- Holy Spirit, same as Holy Ghost (above). -- Holy Spirit plant. See Dove plant. -- Holy thistle (Bot.), the blessed thistle. See under Thistle. -- Holy Thursday. (Eccl.) (a) (Episcopal Ch.) Ascension day. (b) (R. C. Ch.) The Thursday in Holy Week; Maundy Thursday. -- Holy war, a crusade; an expedition carried on by Christians against the Saracens in the Holy Land, in the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries, for the possession of the holy places.<-- now used mostly for the Moslem jihad --> -- Holy water (Gr. & R. C. Churches), water which has been blessed by the priest for sacred purposes. -- Holy-water stoup, the stone stoup or font placed near the entrance of a church, as a receptacle for holy water. -- Holy Week (Eccl.), the week before Easter, in which the passion of our Savior is commemorated. -- Holy writ, the sacred Scriptures. “ Word of holy writ.” Wordsworth.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

holy, adj. (holier, holiest)
1 morally and spiritually excellent or perfect, and to be revered.
2 belonging to, devoted to, or empowered by, God.
3 consecrated, sacred.
4 used in trivial exclamations (holy cow!; holy mackerel!; holy Moses!; holy smoke!).

Idiom

holier-than-thou colloq. self-righteous. Holy City
1 a city held sacred by the adherents of a religion, esp. Jerusalem.
2 Heaven. Holy Communion see COMMUNION. Holy Cross Day the festival of the Exaltation of the Cross, 14 Sept. holy day a religious festival. Holy Family the young Jesus with his mother and St Joseph (often with St John the Baptist, St Anne, etc.) as grouped in pictures etc. Holy Father the Pope. Holy Ghost = Holy Spirit. Holy Grail see GRAIL. holy Joe orig. Naut.
sl.
1 a clergyman.
2 a pious person.
Holy Land
1 W. Palestine, esp. Judaea.
2 a region similarly revered in non-Christian religions. Holy Name RC Ch. the name of Jesus as an object of formal devotion. Holy Office the Inquisition.
holy of holies
1 the inner chamber of the sanctuary in the Jewish temple, separated by a veil from the outer chamber.
2 an innermost shrine.
3 a thing regarded as most sacred. holy orders see ORDER.
holy place
1 (in pl.) places to which religious pilgrimage is made.
2 the outer chamber of the sanctuary in the Jewish temple. holy roller sl. a member of a religious group characterized by frenzied excitement or trances. Holy Roman Empire see ROMAN.
Holy Rood Day
1 the festival of the Invention of the Cross, 3 May.
2 = Holy Cross Day. Holy Sacrament see SACRAMENT. Holy Saturday Saturday in Holy Week. Holy Scripture the Bible. Holy See the papacy or the papal court. Holy Spirit the Third Person of the Trinity, God as spiritually acting. holy terror see TERROR. Holy Thursday 1 Anglican Ch. Ascension Day.
2 RC Ch. Maundy Thursday. Holy Trinity see TRINITY. holy war a war waged in support of a religious cause. holy water water dedicated to holy uses, or blessed by a priest. Holy Week the week before Easter. Holy Writ holy writings collectively, esp. the Bible. Holy Year RC Ch. a period of remission from the penal consequences of sin, granted under certain conditions for a year usu. at intervals of
25 years.

Etymology

OE halig f. Gmc, rel. to WHOLE

THESAURUS

holy

Christlike, Christly, God-fearing, adored, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-seeing, all-wise, almighty, angelic, awesome, awful, blessed, boundless, celestial, changeless, chaste, clean, consecrated, creating, creative, deference, devout, divine, eternal, eternally the same, everlasting, faithful, glorified, glorious, godlike, godly, godly-minded, good, hallowed, heavenly, highest, holy-minded, homage, immaculate, immortal, immutable, ineffable, inenarrable, inexpressible, infinite, inviolable, inviolate, just, limitless, loving, luminous, majestic, making, merciful, numinous, obeisance, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, one, otherworldly, permanent, perpetual, pietistic, pious, prayerful, pure, pure in heart, purehearted, radiant, religious, revered, reverence, reverenced, reverent, reverential, righteous, sacred, sacrosanct, saintlike, saintly, sanctified, seraphic, shaping, sinless, sovereign, spiritual, spiritual-minded, spotless, supernal, supreme, timeless, ubiquitous, unbounded, unchanging, uncorrupted, undefiled, undefined, unearthly, unlimited, unspeakable, unsullied, untainted, untouchable, unutterable, unworldly, venerable, venerated, worshiped

ROGET THESAURUS

holy

Deity

VB create, move, uphold, preserve, govern, atone, redeem, save, propitiate, mediate, predestinate, elect, call, ordain, bless, justify, sanctify, glorify Adj, almighty, holy, hallowed, sacred, divine, heavenly, celestial, sacrosanct, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-wise, omniscient, superhuman, supernatural, ghostly, spiritual, hyperphysical, unearthly, theistic, theocratic, anointed, soterial.

N deity, Divinity, Godhead, Godship, Omnipotence, Providence, Heaven (metonymically), divineness, divinity, God, Lord, Jehovah, Jahweh, Allah, The Almighty, The Supreme Being, The First Cause, the Prime Mover, Ens Entium, Author of all things, Creator of all things, Author of our being, Cosmoplast, El, The Infinite, The Eternal, The All-powerful, The All-wise, The All- merciful, The All-holy, infinite power, infinite wisdom, infinite goodness, infinite justice, infinite truth, infinite mercy, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, unity, immutability, holiness, glory, majesty, sovereignty, infinity, eternity, The Trinity, The Holy Trinity, The Trinity in Unity, The Triune God, God the Father Son and Holy Ghost, God the Father, The Maker, The Creator, The Preserver, creation, preservation, divine government, Theocracy, Thearchy, providence, ways of Providence, dealings of Providence, dispensations of Providence, visitations of Providence, God the Son, Jesus, Christ, The Messiah, The Anointed, The Saviour, the Redeemer, The Mediator, The Intercessor, The Advocate, The Judge, The Son of God, The Son of Man, The Son of David, The Lamb of God, The Word, Logos, Emmanuel, Immanuel, The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, The King of Glory, The Prince of Peace, The Good Shepherd, The Way, The Truth, The Life, The Bread of Life, The Light of the World, The Lord our, The Sun of Righteousness, The Pilot of the Galilean lake, The Incarnation, The Hypostatic Union, salvation, redemption, atonement, propitiation, mediation, intercession, judgment, God the Holy Ghost, The Holy Spirit, Paraclete, The Comforter, The Spirit of Truth, The Dove, inspiration, unction, regeneration, sanctification, consolation, eon, aeon, special providence, deus ex machina, avatar, almighty, holy, hallowed, sacred, divine, heavenly, celestial, sacrosanct, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-wise, omniscient, superhuman, supernatural, ghostly, spiritual, hyperphysical, unearthly, theistic, theocratic, anointed, soterial, Adj, jure divino, by divine right, Domine dirige nos, en Dieu est ma fiance, et sceleratis sol oritur, He mounts the storm and walks upon the wind, Thou great First Cause, least understood, sans Dieu rien.

Piety

N piety, religion, theism, faith, religiousness, holiness, saintship, religionism, sanctimony, reverence, humility, veneration, devotion, prostration, grace, unction, edification, sanctity, sanctitude, consecration, spiritual existence, odor of sanctity, beauty of holiness, theopathy, beatification, adoption, regeneration, conversion, justification, sanctification, salvation, inspiration, bread of life, Body and Blood of Christ, believer, convert, theist, Christian, devotee, pietist, the good, the righteous, the just, the believing, the elect, Saint, Madonna, Notre Dame, Our Lady, the children of God, the children of the Kingdom, the children of the light, pious, religious, devout, devoted, reverent, godly, heavenly- minded, humble, pure, holy, spiritual, pietistic, saintly, saint-like, seraphic, sacred, solemn, believing, faithful, Christian, Catholic, elected, adopted, justified, sanctified, regenerated, inspired, consecrated, converted, unearthly, not of the earth, ne vile fano, pure-eyed Faith, thou hovering angel girt with golden wings.