holystone

/ˈhəʊl.ɪ.stəʊn/

Etymology

Uncertain, but equivalent to holy + stone. As an amulet, probably from holey (“having a hole”). As a scouring stone, variously derived from holey, from the amulet, from its association with Sunday cleaning, from its users' adoption of a kneeling position similar to prayer, and (least likely) from their original provision by raiding graveyards for tombstones.

Why this word is great

HOLYSTONE — [Noun] A piece of soft sandstone used for scouring wooden ship decks, or a naturally perforated stone carried as a nautical charm. From holy (possibly a corruption of "holey") + stone, its name winks at the sailor’s posture—kneeling as if in prayer—or the superstition that a stone with a hole wards off misfortune. Unlike "pumice" (a volcanic abrasive indifferent to tradition) or "talisman" (a generic lucky object), the holystone is steeped in salt and toil, a relic of labor and lore. It is the gritty whisper of sand against oak planks at dawn, the calloused hands rubbing until the wood gleams like bone, the smooth, hole-pierced stone tucked in a sailor’s pocket as the storm rolls in—proof that even the most utilitarian objects can become sacred through use and belief.

noun

A piece of soft sandstone used for scouring the wooden decks of ships, usually with sand and seawater.
A stone with a naturally-formed hole, used by Yorkshiremen for good luck.

verb

To use a holystone.“Six days shalt thou labour and do all thou art able, And on the seventh—holystone the decks and scrape the cable.”