Hallowmas

[hal-oh-muhs, -mas]

noun

1. the feast of Allhallows or All Saints' Day, on November 1.

Hallowmas

/ ˈhæləʊˌmæs /

noun

1. archaic,  the feast celebrating All Saints' Day

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hallowmas¹

1375–1425; late Middle English; short for Allhallowmas

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hallowmas¹

C14: see _Allhallows , _Mass

Example Sentences

Shakespeare even mentions Hallowmas in “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.”

From Washington Post

HALLOWE’EN, or All Hallows Eve, the name given to the 31st of October as the vigil of Hallowmas or All Saints’ Day.

From Project Gutenberg

Malone, one of the early editors of Shakespeare, says that Othello was acted at Hallowmas, 1604.

From Project Gutenberg

And, I beseech you, look into Master Froth here, sir; a man of fourscore pound a year; whose father died at Hallowmas:—was’t not at Hallowmas, Master Froth?—

From Project Gutenberg

At even o' Hallowmas no sleep I sought, But to the field a bag of hemp-seed brought.

From Project Gutenberg

When To Use

What is Hallowmas?

Hallowmas is an older name for All Saints’ Day, a Christian holiday in honor of all the Christian saints.It originated as a holiday of the Catholic Church, but it is also observed by some other Christians.The day after All Saints’ Day is All Souls’ Day, a Christian holiday of solemn prayer for all dead persons.Other names for the day include Allhallows and Allhallowmas. The night before was known as Allhallows Eve, which is where the word Halloween comes from.