hallowed
adjective
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Hallowed Has Old English Roots
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.)
Examples of hallowed in a Sentence
Wayne G. McDonnell, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Apart from visiting the last remaining Blockbuster in the world in Bend, Ore., (which is certainly on my bucket list), this was my one chance to literally step back into the yellow, hallowed halls of my youth, where happiness was one movie rental and pizza delivery away.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
Our country’s economic dynamism is rooted in a few hallowed principles.
—Dallas Morning News, Twin Cities, 19 Sep. 2025
Slebir’s descent was so dangerous, so hallowed to the surfing community, that videos of it have been set to requiems for the souls of the dead.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hallowed
Cite this Entry
“Hallowed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hallowed. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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