holy water

noun

1. water blessed by a priest.

holy water

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of holy water¹

before 900; Middle English haliwater, Old English hāligwæter

Example Sentences

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

Photographs released by the temple board showed priests sprinkling holy water in the kitchen, on sacks of ingredients and on huge trays of laddus.

From BBC

Scenes that angered Muslims included ones showing the girl desiring to eat pork, which is forbidden in Islam, and pretending to drink holy water, and her father supporting her wish to leave Islam.

From Seattle Times

Each volador takes a turn walking around the tree with the incense and flowers, and sprinkling it with holy water and aguardiente.

From Los Angeles Times