brouhaha

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbɹuː.hɑː.hɑː/ (UK); /ˈbruˌhɑˌhɑ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French brouhaha,^[2][3][4][5] perhaps of imitative origin.^[2] Random House explains it as originally brou, ha, ha!, an exclamation used by characters representing the devil in 16th-century drama,^[5] and Etymonline reports it as the cry of the devil disguised as clergy in medieval theatre.^[3] Both mention a possible source in Hebrew bārūkh habbā “blessed is he who comes” (Psalm 118:26).^[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first meant a commotion, hubbub or uproar.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

In English it has kept its sense of uproar,^[2][6] with an emphasis on excited public interest or a squabble over a trivial cause.^[5]

Timeline

• 15th century – French brouhaha.^[3]
• 1890 – in English.^[3][6][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An uproar or commotion; a fuss.
2. Excited public interest or clamour about some event.

Related words

• hullabaloo
• hubbub

References

1. [1] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. [1] [2] [3] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. [1] [2] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. [1] [2] [3] [4] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. [1] [2] [3] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press