tetragrammaton

noun

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

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

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Cite this Entry

“Tetragrammaton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tetragrammaton. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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