holy water
31
3.8
- noun
- /ˈhoʊli ˈwɔːtər/
:
agua bendita
- A jar full of holy water accompanies the ritual of the visit to the saint's tomb.
- holy water was blessed
- sprinkling holy water
- holy water font
He says take holy water or he says first remove the idol out.
- He says take holy water or he says first remove the idol out.
- And for long, the churches were coming, sprinkling holy water on my kids, on my house, on my property, on me.
Examples
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In desperation, his mother sprinkled holy water from Lourdes around his hospital room.
Academic text (2011) -
A room was made ready with a crucifix, holy water, and some statuary.
Academic text (1996) -
Run in to that church and drink the holy water.
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Do you really think that holy water is going to work.
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We might need holy water.
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You forgot to, uh, bless yourself with the holy water.
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Okay, it says we need to have blessed objects and holy water to perform a ritual.
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Next to every doorway inside the house was a small dish for holy water.
Fiction book (2002) -
At the doorway between narthex and nave, he dipped two fingers in the holy-water font and crossed himself.
Fiction book (1991) -
The priests sprayed holy water on the site and prayed for the souls of the dead.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'holy' (sacred) + 'water' (H₂O): a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer 'water that is sacred or blessed for religious use.' This construction and concept are common across many languages and religions, making the MWE immediately transparent to learners.
Etymology
Holy water is ordinary water that a priest or religious leader blesses to make it 'holy'. People sprinkle or use it to 'clean' or 'protect' people and places, so the phrase means water used for blessing, protection, and cleansing.