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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Office \Of"fice\, n. [F., fr. L. officium, for opificium; ops
   ability, wealth, help + facere to do or make. See Opulent,
   Fact.]
   1. That which a person does, either voluntarily or by
      appointment, for, or with reference to, others; customary
      duty, or a duty that arises from the relations of man to
      man; as, kind offices, pious offices.
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            I would I could do a good office between you.
                                                  --Shak.
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   2. A special duty, trust, charge, or position, conferred by
      authority and for a public purpose; a position of trust or
      authority; as, an executive or judical office; a municipal
      office.
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   3. A charge or trust, of a sacred nature, conferred by God
      himself; as, the office of a priest under the old
      dispensation, and that of the apostles in the new.
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            Inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I
            magnify mine office.                  --Rom. xi. 13.
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   4. That which is performed, intended, or assigned to be done,
      by a particular thing, or that which anything is fitted to
      perform; a function; -- answering to duty in intelligent
      beings.
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            They [the eyes] resign their office and their light.
                                                  --Shak.
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            Hesperus, whose office is to bring
            Twilight upon the earth.              --Milton.
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            In this experiment the several intervals of the
            teeth of the comb do the office of so many prisms.
                                                  --Sir I.
                                                  Newton.
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   5. The place where any kind of business or service for others
      is transacted; a building, suite of rooms, or room in
      which public officers or workers in any organization
      transact business; as, the register's office; a lawyer's
      office; the doctor's office; the Mayor's office.
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   6. The company or corporation, or persons collectively, whose
      place of business is in an office; as, I have notified the
      office.
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   7. pl. The apartments or outhouses in which the domestics
      discharge the duties attached to the service of a house,
      as kitchens, pantries, stables, etc. [Eng.]
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            As for the offices, let them stand at distance.
                                                  --Bacon.
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   8. (Eccl.) Any service other than that of ordination and the
      Mass; any prescribed religious service.
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            This morning was read in the church, after the
            office was done, the declaration setting forth the
            late conspiracy against the king's person. --Evelyn.
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   Holy office. Same as Inquisition, n., 3.

   Houses of office. Same as def. 7 above. --Chaucer.

   Little office (R. C. Ch.), an office recited in honor of
      the Virgin Mary.

   Office bearer, an officer; one who has a specific office or
      duty to perform.

   Office copy (Law), an authenticated or certified copy of a
      record, from the proper office. See Certified copies,
      under Copy. --Abbott.

   Office-found (Law), the finding of an inquest of office.
      See under Inquest.

   Office holder. See Officeholder in the Vocabulary

   Office hours. the hours of the day during which business is
      transacted at an office[5].

   Office seeker. a person who is attempting to get elected to
      an elected office, or to get an appointment to an
      appointive public office.
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