alleluia means A liturgical or variant form of hallelujah. It carries an Arena rating of 1445, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, alleluia ranks #2,330 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,825 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #4,123 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #5,764 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
Why “alleluia” is a great word
A liturgical exclamation of praise to God, specifically 'praise the Lord.' From Late Latin alleluia, from Greek allelouia, from Hebrew hallĕlū-yāh ('praise [ye] Yahweh'). Unlike 'hallelujah,' its more ubiquitous cousin worn smooth in secular songs, or 'hosanna,' a cry that begins as a plea for salvation, alleluia is praise distilled to its pure, ceremonial form. It is the single word woven through the Lenten silence, the thunderous chord from a cathedral organ at Easter, the whispered conclusion to a desperate prayer—the sound faith makes when words for anything else have fallen away.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin allēlūia, borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀλληλούϊα (allēloúïa), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew הַלְּלוּיָהּ (halləlūyɔh, “praise the Lord”), from הַלְּלוּ (halləlū, “praise!”) + יָהּ (yɔh, “Lord, Jah”).
intj
- A liturgical or variant form of hallelujah.
noun
- A liturgical form of hallelujah.
- A choral composition incorporating alleluia in its text.e.g.“Down at the corner, carols bugled steamily from a mission soup-kitchen. There's no escape from it, he thought. Turn on the radio, and its alleluia licks you with tremolo tongue.” — 1953 December, Hortense Calisher, “A Christmas Carillon: A Story”, in John Fischer, editor, Harper’s Magazine, volume 207, number 1243, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 38, column
- The plant wood sorrel.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- alleluiatic 81% match — Pertaining to or consisting of an alleluia. vs alleluia →
- hallelujah 73% match — An exclamation used in songs of praise or thanksgiving to God. vs alleluia →
- hallel 71% match — A hymn of praise chanted during the Passover supper, consisting of Psalms cxiii to cxviii. vs alleluia →
- hosanna 55% match — A cry of praise or adoration to God in liturgical use among the Jews, and said to have been shouted in recognition of the Messiahship of Jesus on his entry into Jerusalem; hence since used in the Christian Church. vs alleluia →
- hallow 55% match — A saint; a holy person; an apostle. vs alleluia →
- automelon 54% match — A composition used in Orthodox Christianity to create other hymns, following its melody and rhythm. vs alleluia →
- euchologion 53% match — A book of prayers or religious ritual. vs alleluia →
- hymnal 53% match — A collection of hymns; a hymn book. vs alleluia →