Holyrood

Hol·y·rood
H4O1L1Y4R1O1O1D2
UK/ˈhɒl.i.ɹuːd/

proper noun

An area of Edinburgh, Scotland, the home of the Scottish Parliament.

UncommonScrabble 15

Meanings

proper noun

alternative Holy Rood

  1. An area of Edinburgh, Scotland, the home of the Scottish Parliament.
  2. UKbroadlymetonymicallygovernmentThe Scottish Parliament.

    But Matheson has indicated that the Scottish Government will not be responding to the consultation because transport policy in Scotland is a matter for ministers at Holyrood and not at Westminster.

    2020 December 16, “Network News: Scotland set to snub Johnson's Union Connectivity Review”, in RAIL, page 21
    1 more example

    Yousaf is almost certain to be confirmed as Scotland’s next first minister in a nominal vote at Holyrood on Tuesday but now has to bridge those divides by bringing the SNP’s warring wings together.

    2023 March 27, Severin Carrell, Libby Brooks, “Humza Yousaf elected leader of Scottish National party”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
  3. A place in Canada:
    1. A neighbourhood in south-east Edmonton, Alberta.
  4. alternativeChristianityAlternative form of Holy Rood: the True Cross of Jesus.

Origin

  1. Middle EnglishHoly Rood
  2. EnglishHolyrood

From Middle English Holy Rood, Holyrode, holy-rode, holy roode, hali rode, halgorode, equivalent to holy + rood (“crucifix, cross”). The town in Newfoundland is named after a location near Crewkerne, Somerset.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Holyrood. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Holyrood

MLA

“Holyrood.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Holyrood. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Holyrood,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Holyrood.

Source: Holyrood on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.