holystone
A piece of soft sandstone used for scouring the wooden decks of ships, usually with…A piece of soft sandstone used for scouring the wooden decks of ships, usually with sand and seawater.
Meaning
2 sensesA piece of soft sandstone used for scouring the wooden decks of ships, usually with sand and seawater.
песча́никpesčánik
a soft sandstone used for scrubbing the decks of a ship
A stone with a naturally-formed hole, used by Yorkshiremen for good luck.
Translations
2 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
Uncertain, but equivalent to holy + stone. As an amulet, probably from holey (“having a hoUncertain, 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.
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Forms
plural: holystones| Singular | holystone |
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| Plural | holystones |
regular