holy water

noun

water blessed by a priest.

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Origin of holy water

before 900; Middle English haliwater, Old English hāligwæter

Words nearby holy water

holy terror, holy thistle, holy thursday, holy trinity, holy war, holy water, holy water sprinkler, holy week, holy willie, holy writ, holy year

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for holy water

Directly after entrance reverential genuflections and holy-water dipping are indulged in.
Our Churches and Chapels|Atticus
Some farmer-boys entered with lighted candles, a cross and basin of holy-water.
The Cross of Berny|Emile de Girardin
At the head stood a crucifix and the holy-water stoup, with a sprig of fir in it….
The Forest Farm|Peter Rosegger
But I know that the priest's holy-water sprinkler will readily absolve you of all your sins.
The Carlovingian Coins|Eugne Sue

In the church of S. Clemente there is also a little round antique altar, used as a holy-water basin.
The Shores of the Adriatic|F. Hamilton Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for holy water

holy water

noun

water that has been blessed by a priest for use in symbolic rituals of purification

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012