hollow

hollow

English

Alternative forms

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhɒl.əʊ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑ.loʊ/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

  • (Southern American English, Appalachia) IPA^(key): /hɑlɚ/
• Rhymes: -ɒləʊ

Etymology 1

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.

Noun

hollow (plural hollows)

1. A small valley between mountains.

   He built himself a cabin in a hollow high up in the Rockies.

   • c. 1710–20, Matthew Prior, The First Hymn Of Callimachus: To Jupiter

     Forests grew upon the barren hollows.

   • 1820 March 5​, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number VI, New York, N.Y.: […] C. S. Van Winkle, […], OCLC 1090970992, pages 110–111:

     This road leads through a sandy hollow shaded by trees for about a quarter of a mile, where it crosses the bridge famous in goblin story, and just beyond swells the green knoll on which stands the whitewashed church.

   • 1855, Alfred Tennyson, “Maud”, in Maud, and Other Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], OCLC 1013215631, part I, stanza 1, page 1:

     I hate the dreadful hollow behind the little wood, / Its lips in the field above are dabbled with blood-red heath, / The red-ribb'd hedges drip with a silent horror of blood, / And Echo there, whatever is ask'd her, answers 'Death.'

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 terms

• hollow of the knee
• tree hollow

 

Translations

small valley

Bulgarian: падина (bg) f (padina) Danish: gryden Finnish: notko (fi) Galician: caivanca f, valigoto German: Mulde (de) f, Senke (de) f, kleines Tal n Swedish: ravin (sv) c, dalsänka c, sänka (sv) c, grop (sv) c Welsh: pant m

sunken area

Bulgarian: вдлъбнатина (bg) f (vdlǎbnatina) Chinese: Mandarin: 窪地／洼地 (zh) (wādì) Czech: dutina (cs) f, prohlubeň f Dutch: laagte (nl) f Finnish: onkalo (fi), kuoppa (fi), loukko (fi) Galician: caivanca f, fondal m Georgian: ღრუ (ɣru) German: Höhle (de) f, Mulde (de) f, Kuhle (de) f, Vertiefung (de) f Greek: βαθούλωμα (el) n (vathoúloma), κουφάλα (el) f (koufála), κοιλότητα (el) f (koilótita) Irish: easca f Italian: cavità (it) f Japanese: 窪地 (ja) (kubo-chi) Latvian: dobums m Lithuanian: įduba f, duobė f, dauba f Maori: pārō (of the hand), whārua (of land), whāwhārua (of land), pokorua Norwegian: Bokmål: hull (no) n, grop f Nynorsk: hòl n, grop f Persian: گود‎ (fa) (gowd) Plautdietsch: Hollinj f Polish: nizina (pl) f, niecka (pl) f Portuguese: depressão (pt) f, caivanca (pt) Romanian: scorbură (ro) f, scobitură (ro) f, adâncitură (ro) f Russian: впа́дина (ru) f (vpádina), углубле́ние (ru) n (uglublénije), вы́емка (ru) f (výjemka), я́ма (ru) f (jáma), вы́боина (ru) f (výboina), низи́на (ru) f (nizína) Scottish Gaelic: sloc m Spanish: depresión (es) m, hondonada (es) m Swedish: grop (sv) c, hål (sv) n Welsh: pant m

unfilled space in something solid; a cavity — See also translations at hole

Bashkir: ҡыуыш (qıwış) Bulgarian: коруба (bg) f (koruba) Finnish: ontelo (fi) French: creux (fr) German: Loch (de) n Hungarian: odú (hu) Nanai: онголо Plautdietsch: Hollinj f Portuguese: oco (pt) Russian: (in a tree) дупло́ (ru) n (dupló); по́лость (ru) f (pólostʹ); (technical use) каве́рна (ru) f (kavérna) Spanish: hueco (es)

feeling of emptiness

Afar: hollow Czech: prázdnota f Finnish: onkalo (fi) Greek: κενό (el) n (kenó) Japanese: むなしい (ja) (munasī), 虚脱感 (kyodatsukan) Polish: pustka (pl) f Portuguese: vazio (pt) m Russian: пустота́ (ru) f (pustotá) Spanish: hueco (es) m, vacío (es) m Swedish: saknad (sv) c, tomhet (sv) c Ukrainian: пу́стка f (pústka), пустота́ f (pustotá)

Verb

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 terms

• hollow out

 

Etymology 2

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

Adjective

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.
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     To view with hollow eye and wrinkled brow

6. (gymnastics) Pertaining to hollow body position

Derived terms

• all hollow
• hollow block
• hollow body
• hollow earther
• hollow-eyed
• hollow-fiber
• hollow-fibre
• hollow-hearted
• hollow-heartedly
• hollow-heartedness
• hollow leg
• hollow point
• hollow position
• hollow post mill
• hollow rail
• hollow victory
• ring hollow

 

Translations

having an empty space inside

Arabic: أَجْوَف‎ (ʾajwaf) Bashkir: ҡыуыш (qıwış), эсе буш (ese buş) Belarusian: по́лы (póly), пусты́ (pustý) Bulgarian: кух (bg) (kuh) Catalan: buit (ca), balmat (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 空心 (zh) (kōngxīn), 中空 (zh) (zhōngkōng), 空 (zh) (kōng) Cornish: kow Czech: dutý (cs) m Danish: hul (da) Dutch: hol (nl) Esperanto: kava Estonian: õõnes Finnish: ontto (fi) French: vide (fr) m or f, creux (fr) Galician: foco (gl), oco (gl), van (gl) Georgian: ცარიელი (carieli) German: hohl (de) Greek: κούφιος (el) m (koúfios), κοίλος (el) m (koílos) Ancient: κοῖλος (koîlos) Haitian Creole: kre Hebrew: חָלוּל‎ (he) (khalúl), רֵיק‎ (he) (reyk) Hindi: खोखला (hi) (khokhlā) Italian: cavo (it) m Japanese: 空っぽ (からっぽ, karappo), くぼんだ (ja) (くぼんだ, kubonda), 中空の (ja) (ちゅうくうの, chūkū no), 虚ろの (ja) (うつろの, utsuro no), 空洞の (ja) (くうどうの, kūdō no) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: بۆش‎ (ku) (boş) Latgalian: tukšs, dīks Latin: cavus (la), inanis, vacuus Latvian: tukšs (lv) Lithuanian: tuščias, tuščiaviduris Luxembourgish: huel Macedonian: шуплив (šupliv) Malayalam: പൊള്ള (ml) (poḷḷa), പൊള്ളയായ (poḷḷayāya) Maori: kaiwaka Mapudungun: trotrol Norwegian: Bokmål: hul (no), hol (no), innhul Nynorsk: hol, innhol Persian: کاواک‎ (fa) (kâvâk), پوک‎ (fa) (puk), توخالی‎ (fa) (tuxâli), کرو‎ (fa) (karv), ونگ‎ (fa) (vang ~ veng) Punjabi: ਖੋਖਲਾ (khokhlā), ਥੋਥਾ (pa) m (thothā) Polish: pusty (pl) Portuguese: vazio (pt) m, oco (pt) m Russian: по́лый (ru) (pólyj), пусто́й (ru) (pustój), поро́жний (ru) (poróžnij) Scottish Gaelic: falamh Spanish: hueco (es), ahuecado (es), hundido (es) Swedish: ihålig (sv) Tagalog: bamban Telugu: బోలు (te) (bōlu), డొల్ల (te) (ḍolla) Tocharian B: tronktse Ukrainian: поро́жній (poróžnij), пусти́й (pustýj), пустопорожній (uk) (pustoporožnij) Urdu: کھوکھلا‎ (khokhlā) Vietnamese: rỗng (vi) Welsh: cau (cy) Yiddish: הויל‎ (hoyl), פּוסט‎ (pust), ליידיק‎ (leydik)

echoing, reverberating, as if in a hollow space

Danish: dyb Finnish: ontto (fi) Greek: υπόκωφος (el) m (ypókofos) Japanese: こもった (ja) (こもった, komotta) Norwegian: Bokmål: dyp, hul (no) Nynorsk: djup (nn), hol Polish: głuchy (pl) Russian: глухо́й (ru) (gluxój) Scottish Gaelic: falamh Spanish: resonante, sordo (es) Ukrainian: лунки́й (lunkýj)

without substance

Bulgarian: празен (bg) (prazen), безсъдържателен (bg) (bezsǎdǎržatelen) Chinese: Mandarin: 空虛／空虚 (zh) (kōngxū) Czech: bezobsažný (cs) m, nesmyslný (cs) m, prázdný (cs) m Danish: hul (da) Dutch: leeg (nl) Finnish: ontto (fi) French: insignifiant (fr) m, creux (fr) m Galician: van (gl) Greek: κούφιος (el) m (koúfios) Italian: vacuo (it) Japanese: 空虚な (ja) (くうきょな, kūkyo na), 不誠実な (ふせいじつ, fuseijitsu na) Malayalam: പൊള്ളയായ (poḷḷayāya) Norwegian: Bokmål: hul (no) Nynorsk: hol Polish: pusty (pl) Portuguese: vão (pt) Russian: пусто́й (ru) (pustój), бессодержа́тельный (ru) (bessoderžátelʹnyj) Scottish Gaelic: falamh Spanish: hueco (es), falso (es) Swedish: tom (sv) Telugu: శుష్క (śuṣka), డొల్ల (te) (ḍolla) Ukrainian: пустий (pustyj), пустопорожній (uk) (pustoporožnij), беззмістовний (uk) (bezzmistovnyj), празний (praznyj) Yiddish: פּוסט‎ (pust)

Adverb

hollow (not comparable)

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

Etymology 3

Compare holler.

Verb

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.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter IV, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume III, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], OCLC 928184292, book VII, page 26:

     [T]he Converſation (if it may be called ſo) was ſeldom ſuch as could entertain a Lady. It conſiſted chiefly of Hollowing, Singing, Relations of ſporting Adventures, B—d—y, and Abuſe of Women and of the Government.

   • 1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], Waverley; […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh:  […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, OCLC 270129598:

     He has hollowed the hounds.

Interjection

hollow

1. Alternative form of hollo

References

• hollow in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913