brouhaha

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bʁu.a.a/^[1]

Forms

brouhaha m (plural brouhahas)^[1]

Etymology

The origin is disputed.^[2][1] The most probable explanation is a phonetic distortion of Biblical Hebrew בָּרוּךְ הַבָּא (bārūkh habbā, “blessed is he who comes”),^{[2][3][4][5][1][6]} from the verse “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118:26) with which the Levites welcomed the people coming to the Temple, often repeated in Jewish prayers and garbled by those who did not know Hebrew.^[2][3] It is supported by the Arezzo dialect word “barrus cabà” “confusion, disorder” and by other borrowings from synagogue prayers, such as Italian “badanai” “chatter of voices”, from “be adonai” “ah, Lord”.^[2][3]

The Petit Robert calls the origin unknown, and Littré and the GLLF see a simple onomatopoeia.^[7][8][9][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In a farce of 1548 a priest dressed as the devil cries Brou, brou, brou, ha, ha, brou, ha, ha, an interjection meant to strike terror.^[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

The word soon became a noun among clerks (1552, Charles Estienne), at first figuratively, as in faire un grand brouhaha pour un rien “to make a great fuss about nothing”.^[2][9][8] In the classical period it was the confused noise of an audience approving or disapproving, applause (La Fontaine: de toute l'assemblée il a les brouhahas), and also from Molière (1659) a loud confused noise of voices, its present sense.^[2][9][7] The Académie called it familiar from 1718 to 1932, but it is not so marked today.^[2]

Timeline

• 1548 – Brou, brou, brou, ha, ha, a devil's cry.^[3][4]
• 1552 – A noun, “fuss” (Charles Estienne).^[2][9]
• 1659 – A confused noise of voices (Molière).^[2]
• 1718 – Recorded as familiar by the Académie.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A confused noise of voices; a hubbub, a brouhaha: le brouhaha des conversations.^[7][10]
2. (dated) A murmur of approval from an audience; applause.^[7][8]

Related words

• tohu-bohu
• English brouhaha

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Académie française (1992–2024), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th ed., Paris: Académie française / Fayard / Imprimerie nationale
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 20, 24a
7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)