Word of the Day

: October 31, 2024

hallowed

adjective HAL-oad

What It Means

Hallowed describes something, such as a memorial, considered holy or blessed, or something that is highly respected and revered.

// The church stands on hallowed ground.

// Community service is one of the organization’s most hallowed traditions.

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hallowed in Context

"Writing these words, I’m sitting in the living room of my childhood home, about five feet from the shelves that long ago contained those hallowed books from my aunt. In this exact spot, even before I had learned how to spell and write, I would scribble on blank paper with Magic Markers and staple the pages together—always, this desire, this drive to make books." — Zachary Pace, LitHub.com, 23 Jan. 2024

Did You Know?

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.)