EnglishEdit

 hollow on Wikipedia

Alternative formsEdit

  • hallow
  • holler (nonstandard: dialectal, especially Southern US)

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle English holow, holowe, holwe, holwȝ, holgh, from Old English holh (a hollow), from Proto-West Germanic *hulwī, from Proto-Germanic *hulwiją, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ḱólḱwos. (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?) Cognate with Old High German huliwa and hulwa, Middle High German hülwe. Perhaps related to hole.

NounEdit

hollow (plural hollows)

  1. A small valley between mountains.
    He built himself a cabin in a hollow high up in the Rockies.
  2. A sunken area or unfilled space in something solid; a cavity, natural or artificial.
    the hollow of the hand or of a tree
  3. (figuratively) A feeling of emptiness.
    a hollow in the pit of one’s stomach
  4. (US) A sunken area.
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit

VerbEdit

hollow (third-person singular simple present hollows, present participle hollowing, simple past and past participle hollowed)

  1. (transitive) to make a hole in something; to excavate
Derived termsEdit

Etymology 2Edit

From Middle English holowe, holwe, holuȝ, holgh, from the noun (see above).

AdjectiveEdit

hollow (comparative hollower, superlative hollowest)

  1. (of something solid) Having an empty space or cavity inside.
    a hollow tree; a hollow sphere
  2. (of a sound) Distant, eerie; echoing, reverberating, as if in a hollow space; dull, muffled; often low-pitched.
    He let out a hollow moan.
    • 1903, George Gordon Byron, On Leaving Newstead Abbey
      Through thy battlements, Newstead, the hollow winds whistle:
  3. (figuratively) Without substance; having no real or significant worth; meaningless.
    a hollow victory
  4. (figuratively) Insincere, devoid of validity; specious.
    a hollow promise
  5. Concave; gaunt; sunken.
  6. (gymnastics) Pertaining to hollow body position
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit

AdverbEdit

hollow (not comparable)

  1. (colloquial) Completely, as part of the phrase beat hollow or beat all hollow.

Etymology 3Edit

Compare holler.

VerbEdit

hollow (third-person singular simple present hollows, present participle hollowing, simple past and past participle hollowed)

  1. To call or urge by shouting; to hollo.

InterjectionEdit

hollow

  1. Alternative form of hollo

ReferencesEdit