hallelujah

Etymology

It is borrowed from Biblical Hebrew הַלְלוּיָהּ (hallĕlūyāh, “praise (ye) the Lord”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} formed from הללו (hallĕlū), the plural imperative of הלל (hallēl, “to praise”),^[2][3][4][5] and יָהּ (yāh), a shortened form of the divine name, see Jehovah and Yahweh.^[2][3][7] Etymonline takes the English word through Late Latin hallelujah and Ancient Greek ἀλληλούια (allēloúia),^[7] while the OED, Barnhart and Hoad derive it directly from the Hebrew.^[2][3][4] The older English form alleluia came through alleluia from the Greek of the Septuagint, which renders the same Hebrew word.^[4][5][8] Etymonline holds the Hebrew verb to be of imitative origin, with a primary sense "to trill",^[7] and Skeat to a verb meaning "to shine, praise".^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

"Praise the Lord", as an expression of worship in psalms and prayers: 1535, in the Coverdale Bible's Psalms.^[2][3] Etymonline dates it to the 1530s.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Hallelujah replaced the earlier English alleluia, recorded probably before 1200,^[3] which came from Old French and Latin and was used since Old English for the same exclamation.^[7][5][10] The noun, a shout or song of praise, is recorded from 1614 in the OED;^[2] Barnhart dates it to 1667.^[3] Johnson (1755) glossed the word both as the call to praise the Lord and as a song of thanksgiving, quoting Milton.^[11] In the 19th century it was attached to revivalist groups and to the Salvation Army, as in the Hallelujah Band of 1866 and hallelujah lass;^[12][6] in American slang it was also a euphemism for hell from 1908.^[12] In the 20th century it named a religion of the Carib-speaking peoples of Guyana, Venezuela and Brazil (1946),^[2] and the interjection came to be used, often ironically, for joy or relief (1991).^[2][13] Merriam-Webster dates the interjection to the 14th century and the noun to the 13th.^[6]

Timeline

• 1535 – interjection, praise the Lord, in the Coverdale Bible.^[2][3]
• 1614 – noun, a shout or song of praise to God.^[2] Barnhart dates the noun to 1667.^[3]
• 1866 – used of a revivalist group, the Hallelujah Band; later of the Salvation Army.^[12]
• 1908 – in American slang, a euphemism for hell.^[12]
• 1946 – a syncretic Christian religion of the Carib-speaking peoples of South America.^[2]
• 1991 – a weakened or ironic exclamation of joy or relief.^[2]

Meanings

Interjection

1. Used to praise God, especially in psalms, hymns and prayers.^[13][6][2]
2. An exclamation of joy or relief, often ironic: Hallelujah, the bus is finally here!^[13][2]

Noun

1. A shout or song of praise or thanksgiving to God.^[6][13][2]
2. A musical composition based on the word, such as the Hallelujah Chorus.^[13][5]
3. A religion among the Carib-speaking peoples of Guyana, Venezuela and Brazil that blends Indigenous beliefs with Christianity.^[2]

Adjective

1. Of or belonging to the Salvation Army or a similar religious group: a hallelujah lass.^[6][12]

Related words

• alleluia
• Jehovah
• Yahweh

Usage notes

A separate, earlier noun hallelujah, the wood sorrel, is recorded from about 1425; it comes from alleluia, a name given to the plant because it flowers between Easter and Pentecost, when alleluia is added to the antiphons of the liturgy.^[2]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1911), A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, new ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
11. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
12. ^ a b c d e Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
13. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins