holy woman
1
5.3
- noun
:
mujer santa
- Many people come to seek advice from the holy woman who lives at the monastery.
Examples
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In her community, she is recognized as a holy woman known for her kindness and charity.
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You're a nun, a holy woman.
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"The holy woman has spoken."
Fiction book (1992) -
They'd never raise a finger against a holy woman.
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You're a good and holy woman, Sister Cristina.
-
A holy woman, Muriel says, who listens for the voice of St. Francis every night.
Fiction book (1999) -
Discreetly, Muriel scans the windows for sight of her holy woman.
Fiction book (1999) -
The holy woman informed Blanche that Isabelle's heart would never again be in this world, and from then on, Isabelle rejected fine clothes and ornaments.
Academic text (2007) -
The princess fell gravely ill upon one occasion and only recovered after her mother, Blanche of Castile, had asked a holy woman to pray for her recovery.
Academic text (2007) -
Everyone admired Mother Teresa as a holy woman devoted to helping the poor.
Synonyms
413
2.7
A woman who lives in a religious community and promises to be poor, to not marry, and to obey leaders
39
7.2
A woman who leads religious ceremonies
1
4.5
A person people respect for being very religious and thought to help others with prayer
1
8.1
A woman who works as a religious leader in the Christian church
1
6.5
A woman who works in or helps with church services and activities
A woman who belongs to a religious community connected to a church
A woman who is a religious leader in the Christian church
How Holy
308
3.9
1
5.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derivable from 'holy' (sacred, pious) modifying 'woman' (an adult female), yielding 'a woman who is holy' with no idiomatic shift. This adjective+noun combination follows standard and cross-linguistically common composition rules, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
The phrase holy woman began as a simple description: a woman who was called holy because people saw her as close to God. So, it came to mean 'a woman admired for deep faith and a life of prayer'.