holy war
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.holy war
nounDefinition of HOLY WAR
: a war or violent campaign waged by religious partisans to propagate or defend their faith
See First Known Use of HOLY WAR
1639
holy war
noun (Concise Encyclopedia)Any war fought by divine command or for a primarily religious purpose. The concept is found in the Bible (e.g., the Book of Joshua) and has played a role in many religions. The Crusades are Europe's best-known example. In Islam, the concept is called jihad. Wars in which religion plays a secondary or exacerbating role are not generally called holy wars.
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