agua bendita
/ˌaɡwa benˈdita/feminine
The English phrase "holy water" is agua bendita in Spanish.
agua bendita refers to sanctified water.
Meaning: water, sanctified (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of agua (water) and bendita (blessed/holy).
How does it change in a sentence?
Even though agua is a feminine noun, it uses the masculine article el in the singular to avoid the phonetic clash between the stressed 'a' in agua and the article, resulting in el agua bendita. When using the plural form, the article and the adjective must both change to feminine plural to match the noun: las aguas benditas.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌaɡwa benˈdita/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the adjective bendito can be used sarcastically to describe someone or something that is actually a nuisance or a burden.
- In some Latin American traditions, agua bendita is used as a folk remedy or a spiritual cleanser for people who are feeling 'heavy' or unlucky.
- The word agua is a distant cognate of the English word 'ea', an archaic term for a river or water found in Old English.
Examples in context
- La pila bautismal está llena de agua bendita.The baptismal font is full of holy water.Tatoeba #5884504 by arh, translation #10916832 by Luornu
- Agua bendita es otro nombre para el agua bendecida.Blessed water is another name for holy water.Tatoeba #5884506 by arh, translation #10916852 by Luornu
- Ella roció un poco de agua bendita sobre la planta.She sprinkled a little holy water on the plant.
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are visiting an old church.
- AlejandroMaría, ¿puedes traer el frasco de agua bendita?María, can you bring the bottle of holy water?
- MaríaSí, Alejandro, lo tengo aquí conmigo.Yes, Alejandro, I have it here with me.
- AlejandroGracias, es para la ceremonia de hoy.Thank you, it is for today's ceremony.
- MaríaNo te preocupes, lo guardaré con cuidado.Don't worry, I will keep it safe.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “holy water” translations and entries agua bendita, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agua, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
