Holey

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈhəʊl.li/

Definitions

1. Having numerous openings or perforations throughout its structure
2. Exhibiting many punctures or gaps in a material or surface
3. Containing many openings or voids within its form

Etymology: Holey and holy were once the same word. In Middle English, "holy" (spelled "holi," "holly," or "holli") meant "holey, spongy, hollow" as well as "hallowed, sacred," so the sacred sense and the full-of-holes sense sat side by side under one spelling. The modern "holey" is simply hole plus the adjective-forming suffix "-y," so it means "full of holes" in the most literal way. The split came in Modern English, when writers added an "e" to distinguish the two. The spelling change separated the sacred word from the perforated one, leaving "holy" with its religious meaning and "holey" with the sense of openings throughout a structure.

Synonyms: perforated, pocked

Antonyms: solid, whole