Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

holy water

/ˈhoʊli ˌwɔtəɹ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.79 in modern English

Syllables: holy wat-er
IPA: /ˈhoʊli ˌwɔtəɹ/

18

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

In certain Christian churches, water that has been sanctified by a priest or bishop for the purpose of baptism or for the blessing of persons, places, or things.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"None comes to this holy feaſt but they vvhoſe ſins are cleanſed in baptiſme, vvho are ſanctified in thoſe holy vvaters of regeneration, vvho have obedient ſouls, ears attentive to the Sermons of the Goſpel, and hearts open to the vvords of Chriſt."
"[W]ith our signs of the cross and holy waters, our crucifixes and prayers to the saints, our scapulars and medals, our so humiliating auricular confession"
"In a parallel way, when you came up from the font and its holy waters, you received chrismation and the mark with which Christ was chrismated."

Etymology

From Middle English holy water, haly water, hali water, holiwater, halywater, from Old English hāliġwæter (“holy water”), equivalent to holy + water.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: holy water, hāliġwæter

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈhoʊli ˌwɔtəɹ/
British English: /ˈhəʊli ˌwɔːtə/

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

holy waters (plural)

Phrases

holy-water sprinkle holy water sprinkler

Questions

How do you pronounce holy water?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhoʊli ˌwɔtəɹ/.
What does holy water mean?: In certain Christian churches, water that has been sanctified by a priest or bishop for the purpose of baptism or for the blessing of persons, places, or things.
Where does holy water come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce holy water

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “holy water”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhoʊli ˌwɔtəɹ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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