Holy Trinity

noun

1

: trinity sense 1

According to legend, St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Celts.

—Rosemary Ellen Guiley

2

or holy trinity

a

: a group of three things or people regarded as having fundamental importance or prominence in a particular place or area of interest or activity

By September, the region's famous foliage is emerging, the air is crisp, and it's prime time for the first two sports of the Woodstock Holy Trinity of fishing, biking, and skiing.

—National Geographic

I grew up in a town so white that our celebrity holy trinity consisted of Martha Stewart, Paul Newman, and Jason Robards.

—Robert Wilder

Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, the holy trinity of young ice-cream purists …

—Pierre Franey

… mocks the holy trinity of the art world—sex, drugs and pretension.

—Maria Simson

b

cooking : the combination of onion, bell pepper, and celery as it is employed in Cajun and Creole cuisine

Almost every traditional Cajun recipe calls for the merged flavors of the Holy Trinity to serve as its underpinning, rendering the three aromatic vegetables the most prized ingredients of all in New Orleans cookery.

—Lia Ryerson

Examples of Holy Trinity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Helbig was also an English teacher, eventually rising to a beloved department head over a 17-year career at Chicago’s Holy Trinity High School; many students have written affectionate tributes on social media. —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 1 Feb. 2025

Per the authors, the original residence was clearly connected with Holy Trinity Church just to the south, parts of which date back to the 11th century, as evidenced by the posthole remains of what was once a bridge or causeway. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 28 Jan. 2025

King Harold Sails for France Holy Trinity Church, Bosham, looking east. —Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 28 Jan. 2025

Services will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral near SR 51 and Maryland Avenue in Phoenix. —Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1