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
Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2025
The song is surging in popularity and sales following the latest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where Osbourne was welcomed into the hallowed hall for the second time.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
But Wednesday, photos emerged of the hallowed grounds being threatened by the fast-moving fire.
—Mark Puleo, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
Barkley, 27, needs 101 yards to break Eric Dickerson’s hallowed mark of 2,105 yards set during a 16-game season in 1984.
—Reuters, NBC News, 31 Dec. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near hallowed
Cite this Entry
“Hallowed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hallowed. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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