holystone

[ hoh-lee-stohn ]

/ ˈhoʊ liˌstoʊn /

noun

a block of soft sandstone used in scrubbing the decks of a ship.

verb (used with object), ho·ly·stoned, ho·ly·ston·ing.

to scrub with a holystone.

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Origin of holystone

1815–25; holy + stone; perhaps orig. jocular or profane

Words nearby holystone

holyhead island, holyoake, holyoke, holyrood, holyroodhouse, holystone, holytide, hom, hom-, homa, homage

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

Example sentences from the Web for holystone

If my boot should leave a stain on the marble, George must not holystone it away.
A Mark Twain Christmas Story|The Daily Beast|December 24, 2009|DAILY BEAST
A small flint or stone having a natural hole in it, and worn as a charm, is also called a holystone.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 5|Various
Birch stooped over his holystone, and Peters turned to go forward again.
The Pirate Shark|Elliott Whitney
On deck, the men began to holystone the planks, polish up the brasswork, and make everything shipshape for port.
A Boy's Voyage Round the World|The Son of Samuel Smiles

I need scarcely explain that holystone is a large soft stone, used with water, for scrubbing the dirt off the ship's decks.
A Boy's Voyage Round the World|The Son of Samuel Smiles
The Malay swung aside; the holystone crunched into the sack of eggs and slid to earth.
Cursed|George Allan England

British Dictionary definitions for holystone

holystone

/ (ˈhəʊlɪˌstəʊn) /

noun

a soft sandstone used for scrubbing the decks of a vessel

verb

(tr) to scrub (a vessel's decks) with a holystone

Word Origin for holystone

C19: perhaps so named from its being used in a kneeling position

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