English

holy cross

Holy cross comes from Middle English holy cros.

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

Formed from holy + cross

Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos ‘intact’

…

Proto-Germanic *hailagaz ‘holy’

Proto-West Germanic *hailag ‘holy’

Old English hāleġ ‘holy’

Middle English ali

English holy

Latin crux ‘cross, gallows’

Old Irish cros

Old Norse kross

Old English cros ‘rood, cross’

Middle English cross ‘a cross’

English cross

Every English word from Middle English holy cros

noun A cross as a Christian symbol of the crucifixion of Christ

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.