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holystone

[ hoh-lee-stohn ]
/ ˈhoʊ liˌstoʊn /
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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 originally jocular or profane
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use holystone in a sentence

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
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