Where does “holy” come from?
holy (Middle English) comes from Middle English hole, from Old English hol, from Proto-West Germanic hol, from Proto-Germanic hulą, from Proto-Germanic hulaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.
holy (Middle English): Dedicated to or separated for a religious...
Definitions
- Dedicated to or separated for a religious...
Ancestry of “holy”, step by step
holy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English hole
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hole | healthy; safe; whole, complete, full |
| 2 | Old English | hol | a hole, a hollow; calumny; slander |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | hol | hollow; hole |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hulą | a hollow; depression; hole |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hulaz | hollow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |