holystone
/ˈhoʊl.i.stoʊn/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.10 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Six days shalt thou labour and do all thou art able, And on the seventh—holystone the decks and scrape the cable."
- "The boils called sand boils, which form on the front of the knee, are generally produced by small particles of sand being rubbed beneath the skin when the men are kneeling to holystone the decks. Very troublesome sores are thus produced. Great care should, therefore, be taken never to kneel with the bare knees upon a sanded deck."
- "Six days shalt thou labor and do all that thou art able, / And on the seventh holystone the deck and scrape the cable."
Etymology
Uncertain, but equivalent to holy + stone. As an amulet, probably from holey (“having a hole”). As a scouring stone, variously derived from holey, from the amulet, from its association with Sunday cleaning, from its users' adoption of a kneeling position similar to prayer, and (least likely) from their original provision by raiding graveyards for tombstones.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈhoʊl.i.stoʊn/
- British English: /ˈhəʊl.ɪ.stəʊn/