An exclamation of joy or triumph, similar to 'hurray' or 'hooray'; an archaic expression of celebration.
Origin uncertain, possibly from the French 'callau' or a variant of 'hallo.' The word appears in 17th-century literature as an enthusiastic cry. Its exact etymology remains debated among linguistic historians.
This word almost disappeared from English but was immortalized in Lewis Carroll's 'Jabberwocky' as 'Callooh! Callay!' when he wrote about the slaying of the Jabberwock. Carroll's nonsense masterpiece actually preserved an archaic exclamation that might otherwise have been completely forgotten.
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