What is "holy water"

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.

2. Spiritually whole or sound; of unimpaired innocence and virtue; free from sinful affections; pure in heart; godly; pious; irreproachable; guiltless; acceptable to God. Now through her round of holy thought The Church our annual steps has brought. --Keble. 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.

   1. The Supreme Being; -- so called by way of emphasis. `` The Holy One of Israel.''
      --Is. xliii. 14.

   2. 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.)

      1. (Episcopal Ch.) Ascension day.

      2. (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.

n. (context Christianity English) In certain Christian churches, water that has been sanctified by a priest or bishop for the purpose of baptism or for the blessing of persons, places, or things.

n. water that has been blessed by a priest for use in symbolic purification

Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from Christianity to Sikhism. The use of holy water as a sacramental for protection against evil is common among Anglicans and Roman Catholics.

"Holy Water" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Big & Rich. It was released in September 2004 as the third single from debut album Horse of a Different Color. It reached number 15 on the U.S. Billboard US Country chart. The song was written by Big Kenny, John Rich, Vicky McGehee and Jeff Cohen.

Holy Water is the fifth solo album released by South African singer Wendy Oldfield. It was released in 2002. The album was rated as number 17 in the South African Rock Digest "Top 30 albums of 2002".

Holy Water (Hard Times) is a 2009 Irish comedy film directed by Tom Reeve and starring John Lynch, Linda Hamilton, Cornelius Clarke and Lochlainn O'Mearain. It tells the story of a group of men in a rural Irish village who hijack a truck containing Viagra with the intention of selling the drug in Amsterdam.

Holy Water is the ninth studio album by hard rock band Bad Company, and their third with Brian Howe as lead vocalist. The album was released on June 12, 1990. It went platinum, selling over 1,000,000 units, and climbed to #35 on The Billboard Top Pop Albums Chart. The first single "Holy Water", was a #1 Billboard Album Rock Track for two weeks during the Summer of '90 as the band toured the U.S. with Damn Yankees. The single "If You Needed Somebody" became a major hit in early 1991, reaching # 16 on Billboards Hot 100 chart and #2 (for two weeks) on the Album Rock chart. "Boys Cry Tough"(#3), "Stranger, Stranger"(#9) and "Walk Through Fire"(#28 Hot 100 chart / #14 Album Rock chart) also received substantial airplay.

"Holy Water" was the third single taken from Australian folk rockers The Triffids' Calenture album, and was released in August 1988. It was produced by Craig Leon ( The Ramones, Blondie, The Bangles) and was written by lead guitarist and lead singer David McComb. This was one of only two tracks (the other was " Bury Me Deep in Love") that resulted from Leon's production of the band's fourth album. The production costs of Leon's efforts were more than the total costs of the band's break-through album, Born Sandy Devotional. The record sleeve however credits the production to Gil Norton who produced the remainder of the album with the band. The single was released as 7", 12" and CD single versions by Island Records but failed to chart in either Australia or the United Kingdom.

Holy water is water that has been blessed in a religious ceremony. See also:

• Holy water in Eastern Christianity

Holy water may also refer to:

• Holy Water (Wendy Oldfield album), 2002
• Holy Water (Bad Company album), 1990
• "Holy Water" (Big & Rich song), 2004
• "Holy Water" (Madonna song), 2015
• "Holy Water" (The Triffids song), 1988
• "Holy Water" (WhoCares song), song of musical project WhoCares, part of the 2-track single release " Out of My Mind / Holy Water"
• "Holy Water", a song by Soundgarden from Badmotorfinger
• "Holy Water", a song by the Tom Tom Club from The Good, the Bad, and the Funky
• Holy Water (film), 2009

"Holy Water" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Madonna for her thirteenth studio album, Rebel Heart (2015). The song was written by Madonna, Martin Kierszenbaum, Natalia Keery-Fisher, Mike Dean, Kanye West and Tommy Brown. It was produced by Madonna, Dean and West, with Charlie Heat serving as co-producer. The demo of "Holy Water" leaked on the internet in late December 2014 and later its full version leaked in February 2015, a month prior to the album's release. "Holy Water" is an electronica and technopop song, and it features minimalist bass stutter, ricocheting synths and "martial beats" in its instrumentation.

Lyrically, the song talks about cunnilingus, where Madonna compares her vaginal fluids to holy water, juxtaposing Christian imagery with sexuality. "Holy Water" divided music critics; some praised the track for being a ridiculous fun track and deemed it as a standout and one of her most scandalous track of her career, while others felt it was an embarrassing and over the top track. The song was included on the set list of her Rebel Heart Tour (2015–16). The performance contained dancers dressed as nuns, the singer gyrating around the cross while standing on a dancer and a reenactment of the Last Supper. It was target of controversies in Singapore, where Madonna excluded it from the setlist and was criticized by the Catholic Church.