Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hallow” come from?

Hallow comes from Middle English halow, from Proto-Germanic hailagōną and hailagaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- meaning to conceal or hide, with formative suffixes -kos and -eh₂.

hallow (English): A saint; a holy person; an apostle; The relics or...

Definitions

  1. A saint; a holy person; an apostle; The relics or...

Ancestry of “hallow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhalwesaint; The shrine of a saint
2Old Englishhālgaa holy one, saint; holy man, saint
3Proto-Germanichailagôholy one
4Proto-Germanichailazwhole, unbroken, intact; entire, complete; hale,...
5Proto-Indo-European*kéh₂ilos—

Words derived from “hallow”

  • unhallow
  • dishallow
  • hallower
  • hallowdom
  • behallow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos →