holy
n.n. connected to a god or a religion. It describes something that people treat with great respect because it is special to their faith.
n. dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred. Often used to describe objects, places, or texts that are considered spiritually pure or divine.
The priest read from a holy book.
Thousands of people travel to the holy city every year to pray at the ancient temple.
The preservation of these holy relics is of paramount importance to the community, as they represent a direct physical link to their spiritual ancestors.
Inherited from Middle English holi, hali, from Old English hāliġ, hāleġ (“holy, consecrated, sacred, venerated, godly, saintly, ecclesiastical, pacific, tame”), from Proto-West Germanic hailag, from Proto-Germanic hailagaz (“holy, bringing health”), from Proto-Germanic hailaz (“healthy, whole”), from Proto-Indo-European kéh₂ilos (“healthy, whole”), equivalent to whole + -y and a doublet of later wholly. Cognate with Scots haly (“holy”), West Frisian hillich (“holy”), Low German hillig (“holy”), Dutch heilig (“holy”), German heilig (“holy”), Danish hellig (“holy”), Swedish helig (“holy”). More at whole.
Typically placed before the noun it modifies. In modern slang, it is frequently used as an intensifier in exclamations like 'holy cow' or 'holy moly'.