My favorite word in the English language is verve. Verve is phonetically beautiful, fairly obscure, simple, pronounceable and has a fantastic meaning. Verve is life-zest, creative spirit, vivacity. Verve is one of the highest values one can attain. A person with "a lot of verve" (this is a high compliment, one of the highest), is a lover of life and a person who can express that love in creative ways. That person is also a decent person...you'd never apply verve to a person of low character. I can count on my hands how many people I've known in life that I would say has a LOT of verve. Many people have some, but the verve life, a life defined by it, is rarely attained.
My favorite word in any language is "hallelujah". It is Hebrew, and literally translated it means, "YOU, you over there, come worship Yahweh." It is a word that has taken root in many languages, and is used as a shout of divine praise the world over. It is also phonetically beautiful, though it is not obscure. It expresses familiarity with God (by including His personally name) coupled with a recognition of His otherness and glory. It is a prayer and a commandment contained in a word. It lacks the mystery and obscurity of "maranatha" (another favorite of mine) but is more exuberant in expression and meaning. In many ways it is like the word "verve" in that is expresses that value directed towards God. It fits well in music and poetry and is a great way to reach out to people.
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