hallowed
HAL-ohd
/ˈhæloʊd/
Made holy; consecrated; greatly revered and honored.
Often used for ground, traditions, or names that have been made holy by history or sacrifice.
The story behind the word. Coming from the same root as 'holy' and 'whole', to 'hallow' something is to make it complete and pure. It is most famously preserved in the word 'Halloween', which means 'All Hallows' Eve' (the night before the day honoring all saints).
Word relationships
- sanctified: Sanctified is more technical/religious; hallowed is more poetic and emphasizes the honor given to the thing.
- venerated: Venerated is a status given by people; hallowed is a quality the thing possesses.
- desecrated: Desecrated means treated with disrespect, the opposite of being hallowed.
Commonly confused with
- hollow: Hollow means empty; hallowed means holy. They sound similar but are opposites in 'weight'.
Word family
- hallow (verb): To honor as holy.
Collocations
- hallowed ground
- hallowed halls
- hallowed tradition
Example sentences
- "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." From the Lord's Prayer.
- "Walking through the hallowed halls of Oxford, one feels the weight of centuries of learning." Describing a historic university.
Memory hook
A 'Hallowed' place is 'Hall'-marked by 'Holy' history. Holy and highly honored.
When not to use
Avoid using for things that are just 'popular'; it requires a sense of deep, historical respect.
Fun facts
- The phrase 'hallowed ground' is often used to describe battlefields where soldiers have died, suggesting their sacrifice made the land holy.
Related words
Explore more words
Also appears in
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.