[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

holy \ho"ly\, a. compar. holier; superl. holiest. oe.
   holi, hali, as. h=alig, fr. hael health, salvation,
   happiness, fr. h=al 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.
      1913 webster

   2. spiritually whole or sound; of unimpaired innocence and
      virtue; free from sinful affections; pure in heart; godly;
      pious; irreproachable; guiltless; acceptable to god.
      1913 webster

            now through her round of holy thought
            the church our annual steps has brought. --keble.
      1913 webster

   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.
      1913 webster
see also:
holier holiest whole halibut halidom hallow 
hollyhock holy alliance holy bark cascara sagrada holy communion 
eucharist holy family holy father holy ghost holy grail 
grail holy grass hierochloa borealis hierochloa alpina vanilla grass 
seneca grass holy innocents' day holy land holy office holy of holies 
holy one holy orders order holy rood holy rope 
holy saturday holy spirit holy spirit plant dove plant holy thistle 
thistle holy thursday holy war holy water holy-water stoup 
holy week holy writ 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

order \or"der\, n. oe. ordre, f. ordre, fr. l. ordo, ordinis.
   cf. ordain, ordinal.
   1913 webster
   1. regular arrangement; any methodical or established
      succession or harmonious relation; method; system; as:
      a of material things, like the books in a library.
      b of intellectual notions or ideas, like the topics of a
          discource.
      c of periods of time or occurrences, and the like.
          1913 webster

                the side chambers were . . . thirty in order.
                                                  --ezek. xli.
                                                  6.
          1913 webster

                bright-harnessed angels sit in order
                serviceable.                      --milton.
          1913 webster

                good order is the foundation of all good things.
                                                  --burke.
          1913 webster

   2. right arrangement; a normal, correct, or fit condition;
      as, the house is in order; the machinery is out of order.
      --locke.
      1913 webster

   3. the customary mode of procedure; established system, as in
      the conduct of debates or the transaction of business;
      usage; custom; fashion. --dantiel.
      1913 webster

            and, pregnant with his grander thought,
            brought the old order into doubt.     --emerson.
      1913 webster

   4. conformity with law or decorum; freedom from disturbance;
      general tranquillity; public quiet; as, to preserve order
      in a community or an assembly.
      1913 webster

   5. that which prescribes a method of procedure; a rule or
      regulation made by competent authority; as, the rules and
      orders of the senate.
      1913 webster

            the church hath authority to establish that for an
            order at one time which at another time it may
            abolish.                              --hooker.
      1913 webster

   6. a command; a mandate; a precept; a direction.
      1913 webster

            upon this new fright, an order was made by both
            houses for disarming all the papists in england.
                                                  --clarendon.
      1913 webster

   7. hence: a commission to purchase, sell, or supply goods; a
      direction, in writing, to pay money, to furnish supplies,
      to admit to a building, a place of entertainment, or the
      like; as, orders for blankets are large.
      1913 webster

            in those days were pit orders -- beshrew the
            uncomfortable manager who abolished them. --lamb.
      1913 webster

   8. a number of things or persons arranged in a fixed or
      suitable place, or relative position; a rank; a row; a
      grade; especially, a rank or class in society; a group or
      division of men in the same social or other position;
      also, a distinct character, kind, or sort; as, the higher
      or lower orders of society; talent of a high order.
      1913 webster

            they are in equal order to their several ends.
                                                  --jer. taylor.
      1913 webster

            various orders various ensigns bear.  --granville.
      1913 webster

            which, to his order of mind, must have seemed little
            short of crime.                       --hawthorne.
      1913 webster

   9. a body of persons having some common honorary distinction
      or rule of obligation; esp., a body of religious persons
      or aggregate of convents living under a common rule; as,
      the order of the bath; the franciscan order.
      1913 webster

            find a barefoot brother out,
            one of our order, to associate me.    --shak.
      1913 webster

            the venerable order of the knights templars. --sir
                                                  w. scott.
      1913 webster

   10. an ecclesiastical grade or rank, as of deacon, priest, or
       bishop; the office of the christian ministry; -- often
       used in the plural; as, to take orders, or to take holy
       orders, that is, to enter some grade of the ministry.
       1913 webster

   11. arch. the disposition of a column and its component
       parts, and of the entablature resting upon it, in
       classical architecture; hence as the column and
       entablature are the characteristic features of classical
       architecture a style or manner of architectural
       designing.
       1913 webster

   note: the greeks used three different orders, easy to
         distinguish, doric, ionic, and corinthian. the romans
         added the tuscan, and changed the doric so that it is
         hardly recognizable, and also used a modified
         corinthian called composite. the renaissance writers on
         architecture recognized five orders as orthodox or
         classical, -- doric the roman sort, ionic, tuscan,
         corinthian, and composite. see illust. of capital.
         1913 webster

   12. nat. hist. an assemblage of genera having certain
       important characters in common; as, the carnivora and
       insectivora are orders of mammalia.
       1913 webster

   note: the linnaean artificial orders of plants rested mainly
         on identity in the numer of pistils, or agreement in
         some one character. natural orders are groups of genera
         agreeing in the fundamental plan of their flowers and
         fruit. a natural order is usually in botany
         equivalent to a family, and may include several tribes.
         1913 webster

   13. rhet. the placing of words and members in a sentence in
       such a manner as to contribute to force and beauty or
       clearness of expression.
       1913 webster

   14. math. rank; degree; thus, the order of a curve or
       surface is the same as the degree of its equation.
       1913 webster

   artificial order or artificial system. see artificial
      classification, under artificial, and note to def. 12
      above.

   close order mil., the arrangement of the ranks with a
      distance of about half a pace between them; with a
      distance of about three yards the ranks are in open
      order.

   the four orders, the orders four, the four orders of
      mendicant friars. see friar. --chaucer.

   general orders mil., orders issued which concern the
      whole command, or the troops generally, in distinction
      from special orders.

   holy orders.
       a eccl. the different grades of the christian
           ministry; ordination to the ministry. see def. 10
           above.
       b r. c. ch. a sacrament for the purpose of conferring
           a special grace on those ordained.

   in order to, for the purpose of; to the end; as means to.

            the best knowledge is that which is of greatest use
            in order to our eternal happiness.    --tillotson.

   minor orders r. c. ch., orders beneath the diaconate in
      sacramental dignity, as acolyte, exorcist, reader,
      doorkeeper.

   money order. see under money.

   natural order. bot. see def. 12, note.

   order book.
       a a merchant's book in which orders are entered.
       b mil. a book kept at headquarters, in which all
           orders are recorded for the information of officers
           and men.
       c a book in the house of commons in which proposed
           orders must be entered. eng.

   order in council, a royal order issued with and by the
      advice of the privy council. great britain

   order of battle mil., the particular disposition given to
      the troops of an army on the field of battle.

   order of the day, in legislative bodies, the special
      business appointed for a specified day.

   order of a differential equation math., the greatest
      index of differentiation in the equation.

   sailing orders naut., the final instructions given to the
      commander of a ship of war before a cruise.

   sealed orders, orders sealed, and not to be opened until a
      certain time, or arrival at a certain place, as after a
      ship is at sea.

   standing order.
       a a continuing regulation for the conduct of
           parliamentary business.
       b mil. an order not subject to change by an officer
           temporarily in command.

   to give order, to give command or directions. --shak.

   to take order for, to take charge of; to make arrangements
      concerning.
      1913 webster

            whiles i take order for mine own affairs. --shak.
      1913 webster

   syn: arrangement; management. see direction.
        1913 webster
see also:
ordain ordinal capital artificial order artificial system artificial classification 
artificial close order open order the four orders the orders four 
friar general orders special orders holy orders in order to 
minor orders money order money natural order order book 
order in council order of battle order of the day order of a differential equation sailing orders 
sealed orders standing order to give order to take order for direction 

[3] : WordNet (r) 2.0

holy orders
     n : the sacrament of ordination

[4] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

57 moby thesaurus words for "holy orders":
   acolyte, acolytus, apostleship, apostolic orders, appointment,
   baptism, call, calling, canonization, care of souls, conferment,
   confirmation, consecration, deacon, diaconus, doorkeeper, election,
   exorcist, exorcista, extreme unction, induction, installation,
   institution, investiture, lector, major orders, matrimony,
   minor orders, nomination, ordainment, orders, ordination,
   ostiarius, pastorage, pastoral care, pastorate, penance,
   preferment, presbyter, presentation, priest, priesthood,
   priestship, rabbinate, reader, reading in, sacred calling,
   seven sacraments, subdeacon, subdiaconus, the eucharist,
   the church, the cloth, the desk, the ministry, the pulpit,
   vocation

Holy Orders >> H Words
Holy Orders, definition of term: Holy Orders
holy+orders_pag1.html

Holy >> H Words
Holy, definition of term: Holy
holy_pag1.html

Holy Spirit >> H Words
Holy Spirit, definition of term: Holy Spirit
holy+spirit_pag1.html

Holy See >> H Words
Holy See, definition of term: Holy See
holy+see_pag1.html

Holy Trinity >> H Words
Holy Trinity, definition of term: Holy Trinity
holy+trinity_pag1.html

Holy War >> H Words
Holy War, definition of term: Holy War
holy+war_pag1.html

Holy Wars >> H Words
Holy Wars, definition of term: Holy Wars
holy+wars_pag1.html

Holy Family >> H Words
Holy Family, definition of term: Holy Family
holy+family_pag1.html

Holy Cross >> H Words
Holy Cross, definition of term: Holy Cross
holy+cross_pag1.html

Holy Grail >> H Words
Holy Grail, definition of term: Holy Grail
holy+grail_pag1.html

Page 1 2 Next