Tetragrammaton

[ te-truh-gram-uh-ton ]

noun

1. the Hebrew word for God, consisting of the four letters yod, he, waw, and he, transliterated consonantally usually as YHWH, now pronounced as Adonai or Elohim in substitution for the original pronunciation forbidden since the 2nd or 3rd century b.c.

Tetragrammaton

/ ˌtɛtrəˈɡræmətən /

noun

1. Bible the Hebrew name for God revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 3), consisting of the four consonants Y H V H (or Y H W H) and regarded by Jews as too sacred to be pronounced. It is usually transliterated as Jehovah or Yahweh Sometimes shortened toTetragram

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tetragrammaton¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Greek tetragrámmaton, noun use of neuter of tetragrámmatos having four letters, equivalent to tetra- tetra- + grammat- (stem of grámma ) letter + -os adj. suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tetragrammaton¹

C14: from Greek, from tetragrammatos having four letters, from tetra- + gramma letter

Example Sentences

Some Mars Volta songs, with cryptic titles like “Cicatriz Esp” and “Tetragrammaton,” stretched beyond 10 minutes long.

From New York Times

But anyway, I was in California, and had just signed to Tetragrammaton, and they asked me, “well, OK, we’ve got to find you a producer.”

From Salon

"Tetragrammaton! did I not tell thee the truth?" cried the harsh voice of Botello.

From Project Gutenberg

The four consonants yhvh, pronounced Yahveh, constituted the sacred Tetragrammaton, or four lettered name of the Most High.

From Project Gutenberg

Barb�l� seems to mean "In the Four is God": in other words, it is the personified Tetragrammaton or Great Name commonly rendered by Jehovah.

From Project Gutenberg