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hal·le·lu·jah

(hăl′ə-lyə)

interj.

Used to express praise or joy.

1. An exclamation of "hallelujah."

2. Music A composition expressing praise and based on the word "hallelujah."

[Hebrew halləlû-yāh, praise Yahweh : halləlû, masculine pl. imperative of hillēl, to praise; see hll in the Appendix of Semitic roots + yāh, Yahweh; see hwy in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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