HOLY


Meaning of HOLY in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈhō-lē ]

adjective

( ho·li·er ; -est )

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hālig; akin to Old English hāl whole — more at whole

Date: before 12th century

1. : exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness

2. : divine

for the Lord our God is holy — Psalms 99:9(Authorized Version)

3. : devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity

a holy temple

holy prophets

4.

a. : having a divine quality

holy love

b. : venerated as or as if sacred

holy scripture

a holy relic

5. — used as an intensive

this is a holy mess

he was a holy terror when he drank — Thomas Wolfe

— often used in combination as a mild oath

holy smoke

• ho·li·ly -lə-lē adverb

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.