holy

The word "holy" is an adjective. If something is holy, it’s extremely important to a person’s religion. In fact, it’s so important that it requires a certain level of respect, which if not shown, will create an offense. Things that are holy are books, buildings, shrines, outdoor spaces, objects, and even people. The word "sacred" is similar to "holy."

• A holy man is a person with great spiritual strength and knowledge.
• Burial mounds in North America are considered holy places by Native Americans.
• Pope Benedict is referred to as the Holy Father.
• The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is located in Jerusalem.
• Jerusalem is a holy city, containing artifacts and locations that are important or holy for followers of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
• The holy book for Muslims is the Holy Koran.
• The holy book for Jews is the Torah.
• The holy book for Christians is the Holy Bible.
• The holy book for Hindus is the Bhagavad Gita.
• The Tao Te Ching is the holy text for Taoists.
• The Book of Mormon is a holy book for Mormons.

A temple is a holy place of worship.

The word "holy" is popularly used as an interjection when expressing excitement or surprise:

• Holy cow! Did you see that? That was amazing!
• Holy moly! This is really difficult.
• Holy cannoli! That was incredible!

Here’s an interesting fact: the word "holiday" is a combination of the words "holy" and "day."

Other words this month related to the topic of faith:

 angel

 baptize

 church

 divine

 eternal

 God

Click here to go to the Word of the Day page.

December 9, 2015