Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Holy” come from?

Holy (English) comes from Middle English holi, from Old English hāliġ, from Proto-West Germanic hailag, from Proto-Germanic hailagaz, from Proto-Germanic hailaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos.

Holy (English): Alternative letter-case form of holy "used when...

Definitions

  1. Alternative letter-case form of holy "used when...

Ancestry of “Holy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishholiAlternative form of holy
2Old Englishhāliġholy
3Proto-West Germanichailagholy, sacred
4Proto-Germanichailagazholy, sacred
5Proto-Germanichailazwhole, unbroken, intact; entire, complete; hale,...
6Proto-Indo-European*kéh₂ilos—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos →