Hosanna, an attractive word with Hebrew roots, has two main definitions. First, it’s an interjection used as an exclamation of praise, especially of God. Second, it’s used more generally as a noun meaning an expression of fervent or worshipful praise. Hosanna is also used very rarely as a verb meaning to praise fervently. It’s inflected hosannaed and hosannaing. In news publications, the word usually used in the noun sense. For example, these writers use hosanna to describe books, articles, speeches, or utterances expressing strong praise:
This would-be “Fairbanks 9/11″ certainly blazes with passion—hosannas of awe for Palin, brimstone of scorn for her detractors … [New York Post]
In his moment of triumph, the roly-poly president marched to the podium accompanied by portentous music and the hosannas of his subjects. [Financial Times]
Another reason it’s time to sing their own Hosannas is that nuns don’t even get the respect they deserve from their bosses at the Vatican. [LA Times]
Brown is aware that his honeymoon will end – at some stage the critics singing hosannas will revert to the old hymn sheets preaching doom and gloom. [Mirror]
As these examples show, hosanna is usually used in the plural. The initial h is sometimes capitalized—as in the Los Angeles Times example—but most publications treat it as a common noun. Hosannah is an accepted variant spelling, but it appears only very rarely.
