hallow
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to make holy; sanctify; consecrate.
-
to honor as holy; consider sacred; venerate.
to hallow a battlefield.
verb
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to consecrate or set apart as being holy
-
to venerate as being holy
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hallow
First recorded before 900; Middle English hal(o)wen, Old English hālgian (cognate with German heiligen, Old Norse helga ), derivative of hālig “consecrated, sacred, holy”; see holy
Explanation
To hallow is to bless, consecrate, or render holy by means of religious rites, especially significant religious places or the relics of saints. As a noun, hallow means "saint." The word for our popular holiday Halloween is a shortened form of "All Hallows' Eve," or "All Saints' Eve," which precedes All Saints' Day. In the verb form, the synonyms bless and sanctify are more commonly used these days, but hallow still appears in such phrases as "hallowed ground" (ground that's been blessed) and the Christian "hallowed be Thy name" (a phrase from "The Lord's Prayer," where hallowed means "revered").
Vocabulary lists containing hallow
The Grim Reader: Wicked Words of Grave Importance for Halloween
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Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)
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Othello
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Happily for America, we rely on lessons of experience where we hallow and raise not men but ideas and virtues.
From Time • Sep. 16, 2016
For a self-proclaimed straight shooter, Rousey rang hallow during fight week when she said on a pre-bout conference call with media that if fans wanted another bout with Tate so did she.
From The Guardian • Aug. 2, 2015
Abraham Lincoln stated it succinctly at Gettysburg with his series of negatives: “We can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground.”
From Washington Post • May 24, 2015
Rarely does he wield it with power — instead, his soft hallow scrape is marked by flexibility and candor.
From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2015
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate... we cannot consecrate ... we cannot hallow this ground.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
