Brouhaha

Origin of: Brouhaha

Brouhaha

An uproar or commotion, brouhaha has existed as a French expression since the 16th century but was only adopted in English from the late 19th century. The origin is unknown but is thought to be a nonsense sound uttered by the devil in French 16th century dramas. Etymological attempts to give it Hebrew origins from the Bible are interesting but unproven.