hosanna
Americaninterjection
verb (used with object)
interjection
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hosanna
First recorded before 1000; from Late Latin (h)ōsanna, from Greek (h)ōsanná, from Hebrew hōshʿā-nā, shortening of hōsh(i) ʿāh nnā “save, we pray”; replacing Middle English, Old English osanna, from Late Latin, as above
Explanation
A hosanna is a statement or exclamation of praise. Usually, hosannas praise God. The noun hosanna referring to a cry of praise can claim a long pedigree in English: it first appeared in the 12th century. It's from a Biblical Hebrew phrase meaning "Pray, save us." Hosanna made stops in Greek and Latin before arriving in English in the earliest translations of the Bible. Any kind of thanks and adoration aimed at God could be considered a hosanna. In church, many of the prayers and songs are hosannas.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He deserves a hosanna for saying: “Every time something bad happens, I say: ‘Good.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 9, 2020
“He makes me do things I don’t wanna do,” Autumn sings, braving it alone onstage and turning a 1963 pop hosanna into something close to a mournful protest.
From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2020
The group objected to a single word used in the movie: hosanna.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 10, 2012
Mormons repeat “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna, to God and the Lamb” three times, sometimes accompanied by the waving of white handkerchiefs.
From Slate ● Jan. 11, 2012
That their fraternity engaged in quasi-religious chanting and oath taking and hosanna hailing, all of it top secret, made it that much more appealing.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Shout-outs and hosannas too to the custom-compounded Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
The 10th anniversary of Miranda’s Tony Award-winning, culturally transformative musical “Hamilton,” with the duel as its centerpiece, has occasioned a new wave of critical hosannas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2025
Then the crowds descended on Mossadegh’s home, their eyes burning with fanatical fire, and shouted hosannas for the old man.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
But the veteran is not just collecting hosannas, as a recent concert demonstrates.
From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2021
The lieutenants received the loudest hosannas, for the veterans knew these contests were won and lost through the lips of these lieutenants.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Disband these New England societies—nurseries of a system of steadily augmenting laudation and hosannaing, which; if persisted in uncurbed, may some day in the remote future beguile you into prevaricating and bragging.
From Mark Twain's Speeches by Twain, Mark
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
