Home › Glossary › Letter H

hallow

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To make holy or sacred; a saint or holy person—used in devotional or liturgical poetry to denote sanctification.

Detailed Definition
“Hallow” sanctifies space, time, or beings. In poetry, it appears in invocations (“All Hallows”) or blessings. The verb implies transformation through reverence. Poets use it to mark moments of consecration—love, death, or nature—where the mundane becomes divine. Its archaic form preserves liturgical tone in meditative and ritualistic traditions.
Example
Example in poetry:
“This ground is hallowed by martyrs’ blood,” in a commemorative ode; In Wordsworth: “Hallowed be the spot where friendship first was sworn”; “Hallow not war with sacred names,” protests a pacifist lyric; Shakespeare’s Hamlet speaks of “hallowed rites” for the dead; “The poet hallowed ordinary love with immortal verse”; May your home be hallowed by peace and song.
Additional Notes
“Hallow” sanctifies through ritual or reverence; in liturgical or elegiac poetry, to “hallow ground” marks it as sacred due to death or devotion, and “All Hallows” references underscore its link to saints and remembrance.
Also Known As
sanctify consecrate bless
Skip to main content