hallow
/ˈhaləʊ
/verb [with object]
1Honour as holy: the Ganges is hallowed as a sacred, cleansing river...
- So hallowed was the grain, that it was taboo to plant any other crop in the rice fields.
- They penetrate every nook and cranny of a person's existence, hallowing even the lowliest acts and elevating them to a service to God.
- He bemoaned that many Hindu temples in America are principally ostentatious vehicles for flaunting the wealth of their rich benefactors rather than hallowed ground for community worship.
1.1Make holy; consecrate: (as adjective hallowed) hallowed ground...
- What Lincoln actually said at Gettysburg was: ‘We cannot dedicate - we cannot consecrate - we cannot hallow this ground.’
- In his CALL OF THE HORNED PIPER, Nigel Jackson gives a simple sort of ‘Eucharist’ consecration for hallowing bread and some milk or ale to the fey.
- This is the sacrament of Holy Communion, instituted and hallowed by Christ himself - assuring us that we are accepted in the Beloved.
Synonyms
holy, sacred, consecrated, sanctified, blessed, blest;
revered, reverenced, venerated, honoured, sacrosanct, worshipped, divine, inviolable
1.2 (usually as adjective hallowed) Greatly revere and honour: the hallowed turf of Wimbledon...
- Heir to a Maryland billionaire's catalogue business fortune, Jonze married, less than a year ago, the heiress to one of Hollywood's most hallowed families.
- Watton Field is hallowed turf in the town surrounded by homes inhabited by senior citizens.
- Football is a religion, and Barcelona's Neu Camp Stadium is hallowed turf.
noun archaic
A saint or holy person.
Origin
Old English hālgian (verb), hālga (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German heiligen, also to holy.