Hagios

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A term used in religious contexts to describe something that is sacred or holy, often referring to a saint or divine entity
2. A descriptor for objects or people that embody a sense of sanctity or purity within spiritual practices
3. An adjective indicating a quality of being revered and set apart for veneration, commonly associated with religious significance

Etymology: Greek "hagios" meant "holy" or "sacred," but its older sense was closer to "set apart" or "pure," a word for things that were taboo or dedicated to the gods rather than simply good. It came to English through ecclesiastical Greek, where it was used throughout the New Testament, the Septuagint and the Greek Church's liturgy, and English speakers met it mainly in phrases such as "Hagios" in the Greek Trisagion hymn ("Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal"), which Western churches have sung in Greek for centuries. The Greek root is thought to be related to "hagos," a word for religious awe or ritual pollution, and the notion of a sacred thing being dangerous to touch appears in the same family of ideas. Greek speakers and their Christian successors used the word for both gods and holy people, so it could describe a temple, a relic, or a saint with equal ease.

Synonyms: holy, sacred, divine, saintly, blessed

Antonyms: profane, secular, unholy, impure, sinful