H480 אַלְלַי ʼalᵉlay → ← H423 אָלָה ʼâlâh
7 languagesAn exclamatory interjection expressing deep lament, grief, or distress, typically uttered in times of personal or communal catastrophe. Its primary function is as an emotional outcry, signaling intense woe or sorrow. The term may carry nuances of desperation or anguish in certain poetic or prophetic contexts.
Etymology
Derived by reduplication from the root אָלָה (ʼalah), which means 'to swear, curse, invoke an oath, appeal.' The reduplicated form intensifies the emotional force, transforming the base root's sense of invocation or pronouncement into a heightened expression of woe.
Reflexes · not yet grouped by proto-form
| Language | Word | Meaning | Segmentation | Root |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bemba | alila | To cry out, usually in grief or intense sorrow | ||
| Chichewa | lira | to cry, to weep, to wail | ||
| Fang | lela | to cry, to weep | ||
| Kikuyu | kwīrīra | to cry, to lament, to wail | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kurira | to cry, to wail | ||
| Lingala | kolela | to cry, to weep, to lament | ||
| Swahili | lila | to cry, to weep |