hollow

English

Alternative forms

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhɒl.əʊ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑ.loʊ/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (Southern US, Appalachia) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑlɚ/
• Rhymes: -ɒləʊ

Etymology 1

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

Noun

hollow (plural hollows)

1. (geography) 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[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC, 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, 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.'

   • 1948, Truman Capote, Other Voices, Other Rooms, Part One, 1:

     [T]his is lonesome country; and here in the swamplike hollows where tiger lilies bloom the size of a man's head, there are luminous green logs that shine under the dark marsh water like drowned corpses ..."

2. A sunken area on a surface.

   the hollow of the hand

3. An unfilled space in something solid; a cavity, natural or artificial.

   a hollow in a tree trunk

4. (figuratively) A feeling of emptiness.

   a hollow in the pit of one’s stomach

Derived terms

• frost hollow
• hollow of the knee
• Quail Hollow
• Sleepy Hollow
• tree hollow

Translations

small valley

• Bulgarian: падина (bg) f (padina)
• Danish: gryden
• Finnish: notko (fi)
• French: val (fr) m, vallon (fr) m
• Galician: caivanca f, valigoto
• German: Mulde (de) f, Senke (de) f, kleines Tal n
• Greek: λαγκάδα (el) f (lagkáda), λαγκαδιά (el) f (lagkadiá), λαγκάδι (el) n (lagkádi)

  Ancient Greek: λάκκος m (lákkos)

• Old Norse: dalr m
• 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)
• Hindi: गड्ढा (hi) m (gaḍḍhā)
• Irish: easca f
• Italian: cavità (it) f
• Japanese: 窪地 (ja) (kubo-chi)
• Kumyk: оюкъ (oyuq)
• Kyrgyz: оюк (oyuk)
• 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
• Southern Altai: ойык (oyïk)
• Spanish: depresión (es) m, hondonada (es) m, copa (es) f (of a hat), casco (es) m (of a hat)
• Swedish: grop (sv) c, hål (sv) n
• Turkish: çukur (tr), oyuk (tr)
• Welsh: pant m

unfilled space in something solid; a cavity — see also cavity,‎ hole

• Bashkir: ҡыуыш (qıwış)
• Bulgarian: коруба (bg) f (koruba)
• Finnish: ontelo (fi)
• French: creux (fr)
• German: Loch (de) n
• Hindi: छेद (hi) m (ched)
• Hungarian: odú (hu)
• Irish: cuas m, cuasán m
• Nanai: онголо (oŋolo)
• 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) m
• Turkish: oyuk (tr)

feeling of emptiness

• Afar: hollow
• Czech: prázdnota f
• Finnish: onkalo (fi)
• Greek: κενό (el) n (kenó)
• Hindi: खालीपन (khālīpan), शून्यता (hi) f (śūnyatā)
• Japanese: むなしい (ja) (munasī), 虚脱感 (kyodatsukan)
• Polish: pustka (pl) f
• Portuguese: vazio (pt) m
• Romanian: gol (ro) n
• Russian: пустота́ (ru) f (pustotá)
• Spanish: hueco (es) m, vacío (es) m
• Swedish: saknad (sv) c, tomhet (sv) c
• Turkish: boşluk (tr)
• 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, (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
7. (oenology) Synonym of empty (“lacking between the onset of tasting and the finish”).
   • 2002, Robert M. Parker (Jr.), Pierre-Antoine Rovani, Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide (page 175)

     While most 1974s remain hard, tannic, hollow wines lacking ripeness, flesh, and character, a number of the Graves estates did produce surprisingly spicy, interesting wines.

Derived terms

• all hollow
• hollow block
• hollow body
• hollow book
• hollow earther
• hollow-eyed
• hollow-faced bat
• hollow-fiber
• hollowfiber
• hollowfibre
• hollow-fibre
• hollowhearted
• hollow-hearted
• hollow-heartedly
• hollow-heartedness
• hollow leg
• hollowly
• hollowness
• hollow point
• hollow position
• hollow post mill
• hollow rail
• hollowroot
• hollow sprint
• hollow victory
• hollowware
• hollowwort
• jacketed hollow point
• nonhollow
• overhollow
• ring hollow
• semihollow
• unhollow

Translations

having an empty space inside

• Arabic: أَجْوَف (ʔajwaf)
• 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), buxán (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 (ja) (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 (boş), ھڵۆڵ (hilloll)

• 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
• Marathi: पोकळ (mr) (pokaḷ)
• 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)
• Polish: pusty (pl)
• Portuguese: vazio (pt) m, oco (pt) m
• Punjabi: ਖੋਖਲਾ (khokhlā), ਥੋਥਾ (pa) m (thothā)
• Romanian: gol, găunos (ro)
• Russian: по́лый (ru) (pólyj), пусто́й (ru) (pustój), поро́жний (ru) (poróžnij)
• Sanskrit: रिक्त (sa) (rikta), शून्य (sa) (śūnya), शून्यमध्य (sa) (śūnyamadhya), सुषिर (sa) (suṣira)
• Scottish Gaelic: falamh
• Spanish: hueco (es), ahuecado (es), hundido (es), orondo (es), vano (es)
• Swedish: ihålig (sv)
• Tagalog: bamban
• Telugu: బోలు (te) (bōlu), డొల్ల (te) (ḍolla)
• Thai: กลวง (th) (gluuang)
• Tocharian B: tronktse
• Turkish: oyuk (tr), delikli (tr), oyuklu (tr)
• Ukrainian: поро́жній (poróžnij), пусти́й (pustýj), пустопорожній (uk) (pustoporožnij)
• Urdu: کھوکھلا (khokhlā)
• Vietnamese: rỗng (vi)
• Volapük: kevöfik (vo)
• 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 (ja) (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)
• Turkish: boş (tr)
• 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, 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; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since. […], 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:

     He has hollowed the hounds.

Interjection

hollow

1. Alternative form of hollo.

References

• “hollow”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.