The word Halloween or Hallowe'en dates to about 1745[25] and is of Christian origin.[26] The word "Halloween" means "hallowed evening" or "holy evening".[27] It comes from a Scottish term for All Hallows' Eve (the evening before All Hallows' Day).[28] In Scots, the word "eve" is even, and this is contracted to e'en or een. Over time, (All) Hallow(s) E(v)en evolved into Halloween. Although the phrase "All Hallows'" is found in Old English (ealra hālgena mæssedæg, all saints mass-day), "All Hallows' Eve" is itself not seen until 1556.[28][29]
25: "Online Etymology Dictionary: Halloween". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
26: The A to Z of Anglicanism (Colin Buchanan), Scarecrow Press, page 8
27: The American Desk Encyclopedia (Steve Luck), Oxford University Press, page 365
28: The Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. 1989. ISBN 0-19-861186-2.
29: "DOST: Hallow Evin". Dsl.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2013.