One entry found for Halloween.

Main Entry: Hal·low·een
Pronunciation: hal--wn, häl-
Function: noun
Etymology: an altered form of All Hallow Even, the eve of All Saints' Day
: October 31 celebrated especially by wearing costumes, trick-or-treating, and displaying jack-o'-lanterns
Word History Modern-day Christians know the first of November as All Saints' Day. In the Middle Ages it was called All Hallow Day. This was a hallowed or holy day celebrated in honor of all the saints in heaven. Since November 1 was a special holy day with a special name, the day before it had a special name as well. October 31 was called All Hallow Eve or All Hallow Even. The words eve and even were used both for the evening and the day before a special day. This name was sometimes written All Hallow E'en and later shortened to Halloween.