[ho.ly] adj ho.li.er ; -est [ME, fr. OE halig; akin to OE hal whole--more at whole] (bef. 12c) 1: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness
2: divine "for the Lord our God is ~ --Ps 99:9 (AV)"
3: devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity "a ~ temple" "~ prophets"
4. a: having a divine quality "~ love" b: venerated as or as if sacred "~ scripture" "a ~ relic" "lampooning the ~ conventions of playwriting --William Zinsser" 5--used as an intensive "this is a ~ mess" "he was a ~ terror when he drank --Thomas Wolfe"--often used in combination as a mild oath "~ smoke" -- ho.li.ly adv