Tetragrammaton
[ te-truh-gram-uh-ton ]
/ ˌtɛ trəˈgræm əˌtɒn /
noun
the Hebrew word for God, consisting of the four letters yod, he, vav, and he, transliterated consonantally usually as YHVH, now pronounced as Adonai or Elohim in substitution for the original pronunciation forbidden since the 2nd or 3rd century b.c.
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Origin of Tetragrammaton
1350–1400; Middle English <Greek tetragrámmaton, noun use of neuter of tetragrámmatos having four letters, equivalent to tetra-tetra- + grammat- (stem of grámma) letter + -os adj. suffix
Words nearby Tetragrammaton
tetrafunctional, tetragon, tetragonal, tetragonal trisoctahedron, tetragram, Tetragrammaton, tetrahedral, tetrahedrite, tetrahedron, tetrahydrate, tetrahydric
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for Tetragrammaton
Tetragrammaton
/ (ˌtɛtrəˈɡræmətən) /
noun
Bible the Hebrew name for God revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 3), consisting of the four consonants Y H V H (or Y H W H) and regarded by Jews as too sacred to be pronounced. It is usually transliterated as Jehovah or YahwehSometimes shortened to: Tetragram
Word Origin for Tetragrammaton
C14: from Greek, from tetragrammatos having four letters, from tetra- + gramma letter
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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