Meanings
proper nounHoli (plural Holis)
plural Holis
- A Hindu festival, held in the spring, during which people throw coloured powders at each other during noisy street celebrations.
At the Hoolie or Spring Festival, which happened in March, the Sepoys came round in procession, and exhibited anautch for our amusement in front of our bungalow, and a sort of play, the performers enacting the part of wild beasts.
1830, Anne Katharine Curteis Elwood, Narrative of a Journey Overland from England, page 229
Origin
- Sanskritहोला
- Hindiहोली
- EnglishHoli
Borrowed from Hindi होली (holī), from Sanskrit होला (holā).
More words from Hindi, Sanskrit
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bengali দোলযাত্রা
- দোলযাত্রা (dōlojatra)Hindu festival
Chinese Mandarin 侯丽节
- 侯丽节Hindu festival
Finnish holi
- holiHindu festival
French Holî
- HolîHindu festival
Greek Χόλι
- Χόλι (Chóli)Hindu festival
Hindi होली
- होली (holī)Hindu festival
Malay Holi
- HoliHindu festival
Persian هولی
- هولی (holi)Hindu festival
Polish Holi
- HoliHindu festival
Portuguese Holi
- HoliHindu festival
Punjabi ਹੋਲੀ, ہولی
- ਹੋਲੀ (holī)Hindu festival
- ہولی (holī)Hindu festival
Russian Холи
- Холи (Xoli)Hindu festival
Slovak Holí
- HolíHindu festival
Spanish holi
- holiHindu festival
Tamil ஹோலி
- ஹோலி (hōli)Hindu festival
Turkish holi
- holiHindu festival
Urdu ہولی
- ہولی (holī)Hindu festival
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
Holi. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Holi
MLA
“Holi.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Holi. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Holi,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Holi.
Source: Holi on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.