holy water

noun

: water blessed by a priest and used as a purifying sacramental

Examples of holy water in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The tragedy unfolded early on Tuesday, Jan. 28, as thousands of Hindu pilgrims rushed to bathe in holy water while at the Maha Kumbh Mela, a festival in the Indian city of Prayagrajm, according to the Associated Press and The New York Times. Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025 The holy water, as Anagnos explained, is not an unusual sight in their Greek Orthodox household. Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025 People line up to receive tilak, or sacred ash, from Hindu priests — who also come from India — on their foreheads and drink small ladles of holy water. Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 19 Jan. 2025 Deputies said Von Goetz disrupted the service by pouring whiskey into the holy water and threatened to harm parishioners. Stepheny Price, Fox News, 27 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for holy water 

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of holy water was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near holy water

Cite this Entry

“Holy water.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holy%20water. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

holy water

noun
: water blessed by a priest and used to purify

More from Merriam-Webster on holy water

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