holy water

American  

noun

1. water blessed by a priest.

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holy water British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of holy water

before 900; Middle English haliwater, Old English hāligwæter

Example Sentences

A different Father — Benedictine priest Maximilian Maxwell— sprinkled holy water in the end zone before his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers took on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday with the AFC North title on the line.

From Los Angeles Times

A priest gave nonstop blessings, flinging holy water from a pink plastic bucket.

From Los Angeles Times

McAleese carries holy water and offers to pray with any one who seeks prayer.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead of shutting their doors and pouring some pre-Christian version of holy water around their houses to keep the spirits away, people would often do the exact opposite.

From Salon

"The most important thing I’ve got is a holy water sprinkler... The idea is that water is blessed and it’s then quite literally sprinkled around the house."

From BBC