hallowed
adjective
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Hallowed Has Old English Roots
The adjective hallowed, meaning "holy" or "revered," isn’t especially spooky, but its history is entwined with that of a certain spooky season. Hallowed is the past participle of the verb hallow, a term that descends from the Middle English word halowen. That word can be traced back to the Old English adjective hālig, meaning "holy." During the Middle Ages, All Hallows' Day was the name for what Christians now call All Saints' Day (hallow was once used also as a noun referring to a saint), and the evening that preceded All Hallows' Day was All Hallows' Eve or All Hallow Even—or, as we know it today, Halloween. (Although pumpkins are often hollowed out on Halloween, hollow has a different Old English root.)
Examples of hallowed in a Sentence
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025
These are hallowed grounds in a similar fashion to Gettysburg, like Normandy.
—ABC News, 7 Dec. 2025
Named after the interval between acts of a play or opera and inspired by a moment of tonal change in a Haydn quartet, the work has a dream-like quality, with musicians at times barely touching the strings to create a hallowed sound.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 5 Dec. 2025
The hallowed halls of Gillette Stadium can be imposing.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hallowed
Cite this Entry
“Hallowed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hallowed. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
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