- holystone
- holystone soft sandstone used to scrub decks of sailing ships, 1777, despite the spelling, so called perhaps because it is full of holes. As a verb, by 1828.
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
holystone
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Holystone — is a soft and brittle sandstone that was formerly used for scouring and whitening the wooden decks of ships. It was used in the British and American Navy for scrubbing the decks of sailing ships.The term may have come from the fact that… … Wikipedia
Holystone — Ho ly*stone , v. t. (Naut.) To scrub with a holystone, as the deck of a vessel. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
holystone — [hō′lē stōn΄] n. [prob. so named because user is on his knees] a large, flat piece of sandstone used for scouring a ship s wooden decks vt. holystoned, holystoning to scour with a holystone … English World dictionary
Holystone — Ho ly*stone , n. (Naut.) A stone used by seamen for scrubbing the decks of ships. Totten. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
holystone — 1. noun /ˈhəʊl.ɪ.stəʊn,ˈhoʊl.i.stoʊn/ A block of soft sandstone used for scrubbing the wooden decks of a ship, usually with sand and seawater; sometimes called a bible. 2. verb /ˈhəʊl.ɪ.stəʊn,ˈhoʊl.i.stoʊn/ To scrub t … Wiktionary
holystone — noun Date: circa 1823 a soft sandstone used to scrub a ship s wooden decks • holystone transitive verb … New Collegiate Dictionary
holystone — /hoh lee stohn /, n., v., holystoned, holystoning. n. 1. a block of soft sandstone used in scrubbing the decks of a ship. v.t. 2. to scrub with a holystone. [1815 25; HOLY + STONE; perh. orig. jocular or profane] * * * … Universalium
holystone — [ həʊlɪstəʊn] chiefly historical noun a piece of soft sandstone for scouring a ship s deck. verb scour (a deck) with a holystone. Origin C19: prob. from holy + stone; perh. because the stones were used while kneeling … English new terms dictionary
holystone — ho•ly•stone [[t]ˈhoʊ liˌstoʊn[/t]] n. v. stoned, ston•ing 1) naut. navig. a block of soft sandstone used in scrubbing the decks of a ship 2) naut. navig. to scrub with a holystone • Etymology: 1815–25 … From formal English to slang
holystone — /ˈhoʊlistoʊn/ (say hohleestohn) noun 1. a soft sandstone used for scrubbing the decks of a ship. –verb (t) (holystoned, holystoning) 2. to scrub with a holystone …
