Etymology

holy-water sprinkle

holy wat·er sprink·le

Today it means: Synonym of aspergillum (“an implement, in the form of a brush or of a rod with a perforated container, for sprinkling holy water”). Full definition →

First used 15th c.Middle English haly water spryngelle
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The story

  1. Middle English · inherited fromhaly water spryngelle“sprinkler for holy water”
  2. English todayholy-water sprinkle

PIE word *kéh₂ilos From Late Middle English haly water spryngelle (“sprinkler for holy water”), from haly water, hōlī water (“water consecrated for use in religious ceremonies”) + sprenkil, springel, spryngelle (“sprinkler for holy water”). By surface analysis, holy water + sprinkle. Noun sense 2 (“weapon consisting of a heavy ball set with spikes attached rigidly to a staff”) is from its resemblance to the aspergillum, and apparently from the fact that it scattered blood when it came into contact with a person.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 15th c. Synonym of aspergillum (“an implement, in the form of a brush or of a rod with a perforated container, for sprinkling holy water”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.