a term of rejoicing, sometimes sung or rehearsed at the end of verses on such occasions.

The word is Hebrew; or rather, it is two Hebrew words joined together: one of them הַלְלוּ, hallelu, and the other יָבֵא, yabehav. The first signifies laudate, "praise ye;" and the other, Dominum, "the Lord."

St Jerome first introduced the word hallelujah into the church service: for a considerable time it was only used once a year in the Latin church, viz. at Easter; but in the Greek church it was much more frequent. St Jerome mentions its being sung at the interments of the dead, which still continues to be done in that church, as also on some occasions in the time of Lent.

In the time of Gregory the Great, it was appointed to be sung all the year round in the Latin church, which raised some complaints against that pope; as giving too much into the Greek way, and introducing the ceremonies of the church of Constantinople into that of Rome. But he excused himself by alleging, that this had been the ancient usage of Rome; and that it had been brought from Constantinople at the time when the word hallelujah was first introduced under pope Damascus.