holy writ

noun

often capitalized H&W

1

: bible sense 1

2

: a writing or utterance having unquestionable authority

its financial precepts were not necessarily Holy Writ

—Herbert Stein

Did you know?

Holy Writ has been used in English as a synonym for Bible for more than a thousand years. The term traces to the Venerable Bede, an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon scholar, historian, and theologian who wrote a history of England in which he dated events from the birth of Christ. Bede's history was translated from Latin to English around the year 900, and it is in that translated text that we find the earliest evidence for holy writ. William Shakespeare used holy writ in Othello: "Trifles light as air are to the jealous confirmations strong as proofs of holy writ." And Alexander Pope used it in his Wife of Bath: "And close the sermon, as beseem'd his wit, with some grave sentence out of holy writ."

Synonyms

• Bible
• Book
• Good Book
• Scripture

Examples of holy writ in a Sentence

quotes extensively from Holy Writ in his sermons

Recent Examples on the Web

Fortunately, Marvel Studios has always treated its comic books as inspiration rather than holy writ, so Schaeffer felt at liberty to simplify Billy’s origins as needed. —Adam B. Vary, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024

After years of hints and rumors of a sequel to 2014’s celebrated Black Metal, fans pored over its sequel like holy writ to glean priceless scraps of insight into Blunt’s evolution. —Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024

As the word implies, for some fans, canon is no less than holy writ. —Adam B. Vary, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024

Putting aside holy writ, Greek and Roman classical writers were going to be the ones with a direct line to wisdom and truth. —Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

Neither did another aspect to Utah’s defeat — and an additional cardinal sin in Whittingham’s holy writ of football: giving up huge chunks of yardage by way of an inability to stop the run. —Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Oct. 2022

While ostensibly about historical issues, the Central Committee’s resolution — practically holy writ for officials — will shape China’s politics and society for decades to come. —New York Times, 7 Nov. 2021

Pundits have latched onto these voter surveys, treating them as holy writ. —Jeff Scrima, WSJ, 12 Oct. 2020

Taking the stage after Trump, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal tore into his GOP primary rival’s attempt to use holy writ as a shibboleth. —Peter Manseau, The New Republic, 18 Sep. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

Holy Writ

noun

: bible sense 1