tetragrammaton

noun

tet·ra·gram·ma·ton ˌte-trə-ˈgra-mə-ˌtän

: the four Hebrew letters usually transliterated YHWH or JHVH that form a biblical proper name of God compare yahweh

Examples of tetragrammaton in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

In fact, many occultists believe that the appearance of 11:11 is connected to the tetragrammaton — the unpronounceable four-letter name for the God of Israel. —

Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, 10 Apr. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin, from Greek, from neuter of tetragrammatos having four letters, from tetra- + grammat-, gramma letter — more at gram

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of tetragrammaton was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century