hullabaloo

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌhʌləbəˈluː/ (UK); /ˌhʌləbəˈlu/, /ˈhʌləbəˌlu/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

An alteration of obsolete hollo-ballo,^[2][3] perhaps a rhyming reduplication of hollo or hallo (compare hello).^[2][3][4] Merriam-Webster and Random House connect the second part with Scots baloo, a lullaby or hushing word.^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first meant uproar, racket or noisy commotion, chiefly in northern England and Scotland.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

The meaning has stayed close to the original,^[2][6] with a verb, to make a hullabaloo, from 1867.^[6]

Timeline

• 1762 – first recorded.^[3][6][4]
• 1848 – hellabaloo in Bartlett’s Dictionary of Americanisms.^[3]
• 1867 – verb.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A great noise or commotion; uproar.

Verb

1. To make an uproar.

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] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. [1] [2] [3] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. [1] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press