hoera

Forms

hoera^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from German hurra, a cry of the Prussian soldiers that became very popular in German and other European languages during the wars against Napoleon (1813–1815).^[2][3][4] The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal says Dutch soldiers took it from the Prussian troops after 1815, at the battle of Waterloo.^[4]

The EWN, De Vries and Franck–Van Wijk derive the German cry from Middle High German hurrā, formed from the verb Middle High German hurren (“to move fast”) (now dialectal), with a long ⟨ā⟩ for force; the EWN also compares herrie.^[2][5][6] De Vries and De Tollenaere instead say German mercenaries in English service took the German word (1777) from the English hurrah (1686), from older huzza, and keep apart a native German ⟨hurrah⟩ “quick, on” (1773).^[7] The EWN leaves open how the German word is connected with English hurray, which may have arisen by itself from ⟨huzza⟩, hussa (1573) and hissa (around 1500), perhaps related to Dutch hijsen.^[2] Some derived the Dutch word from the Russian battle cry of the Cossacks.^[6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is of 1816, as a noun, in an account of Blücher's cavalry charging at Waterloo “with their usual hurrahs”.^[4][2][8] The interjection Hoera! follows in 1830.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In the fleet hoera is not found before 1833;^[4][2] English hurrah had been a sailors' cry since 1686, and Pfeifer thinks it entered German sailors' language in the late 18th century, which the EWN considers possible for Dutch naval usage too.^[4][2] The new cry gradually replaced the old hoezee.^[4]

Hip-hip-hoeraatje is recorded in 1845 and hiep-hiep-hiep-hoera!, for a birthday, in 1882; the cry with hip comes from English, and the northern hiep may point to German hipp hipp hurra.^[2][8] In the 19th century the spelling varied (hurra(h), hora, hoerah) until hoera settled towards its end.^[2][4] The stress could fall on either syllable; in 1827 Staring asked “is it hóéra? is it hoerá?”.^[4][2]

Dutch passed it on to Indonesian (hura, hip-hip hura), Sranan Tongo (hure, from Dutch or English) and Surinamese Javanese (oré).^[9]

Timeline

• 1816 – The noun is recorded, of Prussian cavalry at Waterloo.^[4][2]
• 1830 – The interjection Hoera! is recorded.^[2]
• 1833 – Hoera is recorded in the navy.^[4][2]
• 1845 – Hip-hip-hoeraatje is recorded.^[2][8]
• 1882 – Hiep-hiep-hiep-hoera! is recorded, for a birthday.^[2]

Meanings

Interjection

1. hurrah: a cry of joy and of cheering.^[10][4][1]

Noun

1. A cheer, a cry of hurrah.^[4][1]

Word family

• hoerastemming
• hoerageroep

Related words

• hoezee
• English hurrah
• German hurra

Usage notes

Hiep, hiep, hiep, hoera and hieperdepiep, hoera are cries to congratulate someone, as on a birthday.^[10] The Dutch Wiktionary records hoerah as early as 1789, as a cry to rouse game in hunting.^[11] The stress can still fall on the first or the last syllable.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
3. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
5. ^ Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
7. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 165
8. ^ a b c Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
9. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
10. ^ a b Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
11. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org