Link Centre Dictionary

holystone

ho·lys·tone

UK/ˈhəʊl.ɪ.stəʊn/ US/ˈhoʊl.i.stoʊn/ uncommon
noun (1) verb (1)

noun

1.

a soft sandstone used for scrubbing the decks of a ship

verb

1.

scrub with a holystone

  • “holystone the ship”

Origin

Uncertain, but equivalent to holy + stone. As an amulet, probably from holey (“having a hole”). As a scouring stone, variously derived from holey, from the amulet, from its association with Sunday cleaning, from its users' adoption of a kneeling position similar to prayer, and (least likely) from their original provision by raiding graveyards for tombstones.

Phrases

  • sharpening stone

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.