hallow
hallow Lexical Profile
hallow Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To make holy, consecrate, or set apart for sacred use.
"In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln declared that the living could not hallow the ground as those who had given their lives there already had."
To honor, revere, or respect greatly as sacred or inviolable.
"Generations of scholars have continued to hallow the memory of the university's founding teachers."
• noun
A saint or holy person, now surviving primarily in the names of festivals such as All Hallows' Day (All Saints' Day) and Halloween.
"The ancient chapel was dedicated to a local hallow whose relics had drawn pilgrims for centuries."
A sacred relic, shrine, or holy object revered by believers (historically and in fantasy literature).
"Medieval chroniclers recorded how the royal treasury safeguarded several precious hallows brought back from the Levant."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'hallow' (to sanctify or honor as holy) with 'hollow' (having an empty space inside) or 'halo' (a ring of light). The verb is most frequently encountered in its past participle and adjectival form, 'hallowed', or in liturgical contexts.
• Rhymes for hallow
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'hālgian' (to make holy, sanctify) and the noun 'hālga' (a saint or holy person), both derived from the Proto-Germanic root '*hailagaz', which is also the source of the modern English word 'holy' and the holiday name 'Halloween' (All Hallows' Eve).