holystone

English

/ˈhəʊl.ɪ.stəʊn/, /ˈhoʊl.i.stoʊn/

noun
Definitions
  • (nautical) A piece of soft sandstone used for scouring the wooden decks of ships, usually with sand and seawater.
  • A stone with a naturally-formed hole, used by Yorkshiremen for good luck.

Etymology

Compound from English holy + English stone.

Origin

English

stone

Gloss

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms