from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Holy \Ho"ly\, a. [Compar. {Holier}; superl. {Holiest}.] [OE.
holi, hali, AS. h[=a]lig, fr. h[ae]l health, salvation,
happiness, fr. h[=a]l whole, well; akin to OS. h?lag, D. & G.
heilig, OHG. heilac, Dan. hellig, Sw. helig, Icel. heilagr.
See {Whole}, and cf. {Halibut}, {Halidom}, {Hallow},
{Hollyhock}.]
1. Set apart to the service or worship of God; hallowed;
sacred; reserved from profane or common use; holy vessels;
a holy priesthood. "Holy rites and solemn feasts."
--Milton.
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2. Spiritually whole or sound; of unimpaired innocence and
virtue; free from sinful affections; pure in heart; godly;
pious; irreproachable; guiltless; acceptable to God.
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Now through her round of holy thought
The Church our annual steps has brought. --Keble.
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{Holy Alliance} (Hist.), a league ostensibly for conserving
religion, justice, and peace in Europe, but really for
repressing popular tendencies toward constitutional
government, entered into by Alexander I. of Russia,
Francis I. of Austria, and Frederic William III. of
Prussia, at Paris, on the 26th of September, 1815, and
subsequently joined by all the sovereigns of Europe,
except the pope and the king of England.
{Holy bark}. See {Cascara sagrada}.
{Holy Communion}. See {Eucharist}.
{Holy family} (Art), a picture in which the infant Christ,
his parents, and others of his family are represented.
{Holy Father}, a title of the pope.
{Holy Ghost} (Theol.), the third person of the Trinity; the
Comforter; the Paraclete.
{Holy Grail}. See {Grail}.
{Holy grass} (Bot.), a sweet-scented grass ({Hierochloa
borealis} and {Hierochloa alpina}). In the north of Europe
it was formerly strewed before church doors on saints'
days; whence the name. It is common in the northern and
western parts of the United States. Called also {vanilla
grass} or {Seneca grass}.
{Holy Innocents' day}, Childermas day.
{Holy Land}, Palestine, the birthplace of Christianity.
{Holy office}, the Inquisition.
{Holy of holies} (Script.), the innermost apartment of the
Jewish tabernacle or temple, where the ark was kept, and
where no person entered, except the high priest once a
year.
{Holy One}.
(a) The Supreme Being; -- so called by way of emphasis. "
The Holy One of Israel." --Is. xliii. 14.
(b) One separated to the service of God.
{Holy orders}. See {Order}.
{Holy rood}, the cross or crucifix, particularly one placed,
in churches. over the entrance to the chancel.
{Holy rope}, a plant, the hemp agrimony.
{Holy Saturday} (Eccl.), the Saturday immediately preceding
the festival of Easter; the vigil of Easter.
{Holy Spirit}, same as {Holy Ghost} (above).
{Holy Spirit plant}. See {Dove plant}.
{Holy thistle} (Bot.), the blessed thistle. See under
{Thistle}.
{Holy Thursday}. (Eccl.)
(a) (Episcopal Ch.) Ascension day.
(b) (R. C. Ch.) The Thursday in Holy Week; Maundy
Thursday.
{Holy war}, a crusade; an expedition carried on by Christians
against the Saracens in the Holy Land, in the eleventh,
twelfth, and thirteenth centuries, for the possession of
the holy places.
{Holy water} (Gr. & R. C. Churches), water which has been
blessed by the priest for sacred purposes.
{Holy-water stoup}, the stone stoup or font placed near the
entrance of a church, as a receptacle for holy water.
{Holy Week} (Eccl.), the week before Easter, in which the
passion of our Savior is commemorated.
{Holy writ}, the sacred Scriptures. " Word of holy writ."
--Wordsworth.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Spirit \Spir"it\, n. [OF. espirit, esperit, F. esprit, L.
spiritus, from spirare to breathe, to blow. Cf. {Conspire},
{Expire}, {Esprit}, {Sprite}.]
1. Air set in motion by breathing; breath; hence, sometimes,
life itself. [Obs.] "All of spirit would deprive."
--Spenser.
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The mild air, with season moderate,
Gently attempered, and disposed eo well,
That still it breathed foorth sweet spirit.
--Spenser.
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2. A rough breathing; an aspirate, as the letter h; also, a
mark to denote aspiration; a breathing. [Obs.]
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Be it a letter or spirit, we have great use for it.
--B. Jonson.
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3. Life, or living substance, considered independently of
corporeal existence; an intelligence conceived of apart
from any physical organization or embodiment; vital
essence, force, or energy, as distinct from matter.
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4. The intelligent, immaterial and immortal part of man; the
soul, in distinction from the body in which it resides;
the agent or subject of vital and spiritual functions,
whether spiritual or material.
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There is a spirit in man; and the inspiration of the
Almighty giveth them understanding. --Job xxxii.
8.
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As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith
without works is dead also. --James ii.
26.
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Spirit is a substance wherein thinking, knowing,
doubting, and a power of moving, do subsist.
--Locke.
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5. Specifically, a disembodied soul; the human soul after it
has left the body.
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Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was,
and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
--Eccl. xii.
7.
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Ye gentle spirits far away,
With whom we shared the cup of grace. --Keble.
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6. Any supernatural being, good or bad; an apparition; a
specter; a ghost; also, sometimes, a sprite,; a fairy; an
elf.
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Whilst young, preserve his tender mind from all
impressions of spirits and goblins in the dark.
--Locke.
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7. Energy, vivacity, ardor, enthusiasm, courage, etc.
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"Write it then, quickly," replied Bede; and
summoning all his spirits together, like the last
blaze of a candle going out, he indited it, and
expired. --Fuller.
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8. One who is vivacious or lively; one who evinces great
activity or peculiar characteristics of mind or temper;
as, a ruling spirit; a schismatic spirit.
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Such spirits as he desired to please, such would I
choose for my judges. --Dryden.
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9. Temper or disposition of mind; mental condition or
disposition; intellectual or moral state; -- often in the
plural; as, to be cheerful, or in good spirits; to be
downhearted, or in bad spirits.
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God has . . . made a spirit of building succeed a
spirit of pulling down. --South.
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A perfect judge will read each work of wit
With the same spirit that its author writ. --Pope.
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10. Intent; real meaning; -- opposed to the letter, or to
formal statement; also, characteristic quality,
especially such as is derived from the individual genius
or the personal character; as, the spirit of an
enterprise, of a document, or the like.
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11. Tenuous, volatile, airy, or vapory substance, possessed
of active qualities.
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All bodies have spirits . . . within them. --Bacon.
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12. Any liquid produced by distillation; especially, alcohol,
the spirits, or spirit, of wine (it having been first
distilled from wine): -- often in the plural.
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13. pl. Rum, whisky, brandy, gin, and other distilled liquors
having much alcohol, in distinction from wine and malt
liquors.
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14. (Med.) A solution in alcohol of a volatile principle. Cf.
{Tincture}. --U. S. Disp.
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15. (Alchemy) Any one of the four substances, sulphur, sal
ammoniac, quicksilver, or arsenic (or, according to some,
orpiment).
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The four spirits and the bodies seven. --Chaucer.
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16. (Dyeing) Stannic chloride. See under {Stannic}.
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Note: Spirit is sometimes joined with other words, forming
compounds, generally of obvious signification; as,
spirit-moving, spirit-searching, spirit-stirring, etc.
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{Astral spirits}, {Familiar spirits}, etc. See under
{Astral}, {Familiar}, etc.
{Animal spirits}.
(a) (Physiol.) The fluid which at one time was supposed
to circulate through the nerves and was regarded as
the agent of sensation and motion; -- called also the
{nervous fluid}, or {nervous principle}.
(b) Physical health and energy; frolicsomeness;
sportiveness.
{Ardent spirits}, strong alcoholic liquors, as brandy, rum,
whisky, etc., obtained by distillation.
{Holy Spirit}, or {The Spirit} (Theol.), the Spirit of God,
or the third person of the Trinity; the Holy Ghost. The
spirit also signifies the human spirit as influenced or
animated by the Divine Spirit.
{Proof spirit}. (Chem.) See under {Proof}.
{Rectified spirit} (Chem.), spirit rendered purer or more
concentrated by redistillation, so as to increase the
percentage of absolute alcohol.
{Spirit butterfly} (Zool.), any one of numerous species of
delicate butterflies of tropical America belonging to the
genus {Ithomia}. The wings are gauzy and nearly destitute
of scales.
{Spirit duck}. (Zool.)
(a) The buffle-headed duck.
(b) The golden-eye.
{Spirit lamp} (Art), a lamp in which alcohol or methylated
spirit is burned.
{Spirit level}. See under {Level}.
{Spirit of hartshorn}. (Old Chem.) See under {Hartshorn}.
{Spirit of Mindererus} (Med.), an aqueous solution of acetate
of ammonium; -- named after R. Minderer, physician of
Augsburg.
{Spirit of nitrous ether} (Med. Chem.), a pale yellow liquid,
of a sweetish taste and a pleasant ethereal odor. It is
obtained by the distillation of alcohol with nitric and
sulphuric acids, and consists essentially of ethyl nitrite
with a little acetic aldehyde. It is used as a
diaphoretic, diuretic, antispasmodic, etc. Called also
{sweet spirit of niter}.
{Spirit of salt} (Chem.), hydrochloric acid; -- so called
because obtained from salt and sulphuric acid. [Obs.]
{Spirit of sense}, the utmost refinement of sensation. [Obs.]
--Shak.
{Spirits of turpentine}, or {Spirit of turpentine} (Chem.),
rectified oil of turpentine, a transparent, colorless,
volatile, and very inflammable liquid, distilled from the
turpentine of the various species of pine; camphine. It is
commonly used to remove paint from surfaces, or to dissole
oil-based paint. See {Camphine}.
{Spirit of vitriol} (Chem.), sulphuric acid; -- so called
because formerly obtained by the distillation of green
vitriol. [Obs.]
{Spirit of vitriolic ether} (Chem.) ethyl ether; -- often but
incorrectly called {sulphuric ether}. See {Ether}. [Obs.]
{Spirits of wine}, or {Spirit of wine} (Chem.), alcohol; --
so called because formerly obtained by the distillation of
wine.
{Spirit rapper}, one who practices spirit rapping; a "medium"
so called.
{Spirit rapping}, an alleged form of communication with the
spirits of the dead by raps. See {Spiritualism}, 3.
{Sweet spirit of niter}. See {Spirit of nitrous ether},
above.
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Syn: Life; ardor; energy; fire; courage; animatioon;
cheerfulness; vivacity; enterprise.
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