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You are here: Home / History / Where does the old expression and exclamation “hurrah!” originate and what does it mean?

Where does the old expression and exclamation “hurrah!” originate and what does it mean?

March 12, 2020 by Karen Hill

The old expression and exclamation “hurrah!” is from an old Norse warrior word “Huzzah!” which meant “On to paradise!”

The use of the word in its current form has its origins around the Victorian era as evident in literary works by Shakespeare.

More recent usage in its current spelling include the phrase “the last Hurrah”, which became popular in America after it was used as the title of Edwin O’Connor’s 1956 novel The Last Hurrah.

Other similar exclamations to express joy or approbation, some more common than others, include the following:

Hooray!

Hurray!

Hurrah!

Hurree!

Ur Ah!

Ooh-rah!

Hoo-rah!

Hooah!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Hip Hip Hurray!

And the original, Huzzah!

Feel free to go nuts.

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Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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