unholy
Meaning
morally wrong and against religious or moral laws; evil
(informal) used to emphasize how bad, unpleasant, or great something is
Structure
Usage
the cult was accused of performing unholy rituals.
the alliance between the two rival companies was an unholy alliance of convenience.
we made an unholy mess in the kitchen while trying to bake the cake.
Etymology
The word 'unholy' is a transparent English compound formed by the direct combination of the native Germanic prefix 'un-' and the adjective 'holy'. Its Old English ancestor, unhālig, was constructed in the same manner, literally meaning "not holy" or "not sacred." The concept relies on the ancient Germanic root for wholeness and health (hailaz), from which 'holy' evolved to denote spiritual wholeness and divine sanction. Therefore, 'unholy' logically denotes the absence or opposite of this sacred quality, extending from a literal religious sense to a broader meaning of profound wrongness or, informally, extreme intensity.
Analysis
- un: a prefix of germanic origin (old english un-), meaning "not," used to form negatives of adjectives and participles. - holy: an adjective of old english origin (hālig), meaning "sacred, consecrated," derived from hāl meaning "whole, healthy."