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hallowed

adjective
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hal·​lowed | \ ˈha-(ˌ)lōd How to pronounce hallowed (audio) , 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
Synonyms Hallowed Has Old English Roots More Example Sentences Learn More about hallowed

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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.

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 on the Web Courthouses are public places where matters of great public interest are addressed, and technology can help shine a light on what happens in their hallowed walls. — Lucy Lang, Wired, "Virtual Criminal Justice May Make the System More Equitable," 1 July 2020 The hallowed Philadelphia stadium on the University of Pennsylvania campus annually hosts the Penn Relays and serves as home for other Penn sporting events, including football. — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Newly named stadium for Milwaukee Milkmen catches attention of ... Keith Olbermann?," 18 June 2020 Scalia's hallowed name was cited 21 times in the majority opinion and dissents – 19 of them by the dissenters. — Richard Wolf, USA TODAY, "Ruling on LGBTQ rights once again reveals precarious nature of Supreme Court's conservative majority," 17 June 2020 With his 62nd home run against the Cubs on Sept. 8, 1998, McGwire broke one of the most hallowed records in Major League Baseball. — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "With 'Long Gone Summer' about to air, re-visit the Milwaukee Brewers' role in the McGwire-Sosa home run chase," 14 June 2020 In 1998, Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs embarked on a historic chase of Roger Maris’ hallowed single-season home run record of 61, and the nation became obsessed. — Chuck Barney, Detroit Free Press, "TV highlights for the week of June 14-20," 12 June 2020 The New Decas’ Move over, Bobby Axelrod: You’re not the only pugnacious redhead in Axe Cap’s hallowed halls anymore. — Sean T. Collins, New York Times, "‘Billions’ Season 5 Premiere Recap: Chopping Heads," 3 May 2020 In dreaming up the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling almost certainly drew inspiration from snakes to name the character of Salazar Slytherin, one of the magical school’s four founders and the eponym of Slytherin house. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, "Meet the New Species of Snake Named After Salazar Slytherin of the Harry Potter Franchise," 28 Apr. 2020 For the past five years, 18-year-old Eagle Scout Kieran Monaghan has been one of the Scouts who has walked the hallowed ground and gingerly placed an American flag next to each headstone. — Eric Shawn | Fox News, Fox News, "Boy Scouts banned from planting American flags on veterans' graves for Memorial Day due to coronavirus," 13 May 2020

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.

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First Known Use of hallowed

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for hallowed

see hallow

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Time Traveler for hallowed

Time Traveler

The first known use of hallowed was before the 12th century

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Statistics for hallowed

Last Updated

6 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Hallowed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hallowed. Accessed 11 Aug. 2020.

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More Definitions for hallowed

hallowed

adjective
How to pronounce hallowed (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of hallowed

: holy or blessed
: highly respected

See the full definition for hallowed in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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More from Merriam-Webster on hallowed

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hallowed

Spanish Central: Translation of hallowed

Nglish: Translation of hallowed for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of hallowed for Arabic Speakers

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