hallowed

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adjective hal·lowed \ ˈha-(ˌ)lōd , ˈha-ləd , in the Lord's Prayer often ˈha-lə-wəd \

Definition of hallowed

1 :holy, consecrated

the church stands on hallowed ground

2 :sacred, revered

the university's hallowed halls

hallowed customs

See hallowed defined for English-language learners

hallowed was our Word of the Day on 11/12/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of hallowed in a Sentence

The church stands on hallowed ground.
the college's hallowed tradition of ringing the chapel bell one hundred times before commencement ceremonies

Recent Examples of hallowed from the Web

Greta Johnsen, Tricia Bobeda, and Peter Sagal take over DANK Haus (4740 N. Western), decorated to resemble a hallowed medieval hall, for a Game of Thrones wrap party, breaking down the past season and hyping up the final one to come.

— steve heisler, Chicago Reader, "Arts / Do This Game of Thrones wrap party, Noir City film festival, Fringe Fest, and more of the best things to do in Chicago this week," 28 Aug. 2017
There is more courage, sacrifice, and love in those hallowed grounds than in any other spot on the face of the Earth.

— nora kelly, The Atlantic, "Full Transcript: Donald Trump Announces His Afghanistan Policy," 21 Aug. 2017
There is more courage, sacrifice, and love in those hallowed grounds than in any other spot on the face of the Earth.

— natalie jennings, Washington Post, "Trump’s muscular but vague Afghanistan speech, annotated," 21 Aug. 2017
For many barbecue fans, the small lot next to Republic Street Bar in the Near Southside area is hallowed turf.

— malcolm mayhew, star-telegram, "Jefe’s Tex Mex BBQ brings out big flavors with a tiny smoker," 16 Aug. 2017
Her newfound superstardom brought her more accolades, including a spot as musical guest on the hallowed stage of Saturday Night Live.

— jordan runtagh, PEOPLE.com, "Sinéad O’Connor’s Struggle: Inside the ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ Singer’s Tumultuous Ups and Downs," 10 Aug. 2017
When their national cricket teams clashed in June at the Oval, a hallowed ground in London, passions on both sides ran equally high.

— The Economist, "Reconciliation is not impossible, but it will be a long, slow process," 22 July 2017
But come October, the Broad is quintupling your chances of getting a dope selfie by bringing five more of the Japanese artist’s totally bonkers installations into its hallowed halls.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "Five More Yayoi Kusama Infinity Rooms Are Coming to the Broad This Fall, and You’re Going to Lose Your Mind," 19 July 2017
Who when that hallowed science fiction series resumes in December.

— christopher arnott, courant.com, "Long Wharf Gets Money For 'Fireflies'; All Worked Up About 'Will'," 18 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hallowed.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

hallowed Has Old English Roots

The adjective hallowed probably doesn't give you the shivers-or does it? Hallowed is the past participle of the verb hallow, a term that descends from the Middle English halowen. That word can in turn be traced back to hālig, Old English for "holy." During the Middle Ages, All Hallows' Day was the name for what Christians now call All Saints' Day, and the evening that preceded All Hallows' Day was All Hallow Even-or, as we know it today, Halloween.