アヴェマリア

Ave Maria is the Latin source form behind アヴェマリア, with ave meaning hail and Maria meaning Mary. Merriam-Webster gives Medieval Latin as the source and records English Ave Maria from the thirteenth century. WordReference defines it as the first two words of the Latin Catholic prayer based on Gabriel's greeting to Mary and Elizabeth's words in Luke 1. Japanese borrowed アヴェマリア through Christianity and Western music vocabulary. Kotobank's Digital Daijisen defines it first as a Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary, then as a vocal work based on that prayer. Music made the term widely recognizable: Franz Schubert's 1825 Ellens dritter Gesang and Charles Gounod's 1853 setting with Bach's Prelude are both linked in Japanese dictionary explanations. Today アヴェマリア usually means the prayer or a song title, not a personal name by itself. In rosary context, one Ave Maria corresponds to one Hail Mary prayer. English Hail Mary also has an American-football sense for a last-second long pass, but Japanese normally uses ヘイルメアリー for that sports term. アヴェマリア keeps the church and concert contexts. Example: 合唱でアヴェマリアを歌う.