alleluia
UK[ˌalɪˈluːjə]US[ˌæləˈluːjə]
interj
An exclamation of praise to God.
n
A song or shout of praise to God.
Etymology
The word 'alleluia' is a transliteration of the Hebrew liturgical phrase 'hallĕlū yăh', meaning 'praise the Lord'. It was adopted into Greek as 'allēlouia' and subsequently into Latin, preserving its phonetic form and sacred meaning. Entering English through Christian liturgical texts, it retained its specific function as an exclamation or song of divine praise. Its journey from a Hebrew imperative phrase to a fixed English noun and interjection exemplifies the direct borrowing of a semantically whole unit from a sacred language.
Analysis
This word is a direct loanword from Latin and Greek, ultimately from Hebrew. It is not productively formed from separable English morphemes.
Examples
The choir sang a triumphant alleluia.
"Alleluia!" cried the congregation in response.
The hymn builds to a powerful alleluia in the final verse.