hooray for hooray!
There are some words that truly bring to a smile to my face, and “hooray” is definitely one of them. It not only carries a sense of joy with its meaning, but also with its pronunciation. Like a slice of lemon to a meal or the color red to a wall, “hooray” brightens any sentence.
Our trusty online dictionary, Merriam-Webster, notes that “hooray” is in fact an interjection that is “used to express joy, approval, or encouragement.” As an interjection, “a word or phrase used in exclamation,” the function of “hooray” even has a sense excitement.
“Hooray” can be dated back to 1686 and possibly comes from the German word “hurra,” the battle-cry of Prussian soldiers during the War of Liberation (1812-13). Although the word may seem outdated in your mind and somewhat hokey, I believe it really needs to make a comeback. “Hooray” adds a certain levity to a written sentence and literally brings a smile to any face when spoken (just say and word and the pronunciation will literally cause your mouth to form a smile-like shape).
“Hooray” is truly underused and absolutely fabulous. I highly recommend that you let it slip into your shouts of excitement.
I love language, hooray!
Filed under: etymology, words | 4 Comments
Tags: battle-cry, etymology, hooray, language, merriam webster, online etymology dictionary, words
I loved this! I generally like fun, silly words or phrases (I say woo hoo a lot, perhaps my version of hooray) because they tend to take me back a bit to my childhood when it seemed a lot more commonplace to burst out with these kinds of things. This post actually inspired me to print out a few of these fun phrases and hang them on my bulletin board that sits above my office desk. Whenever I’m feeling a bit blah, I can look at them and remember the silly, excited feeling they create and lighten up my mood! After all, laughter – and I think sometimes general silliness – is the best medicine!
I am so glad that you liked the post. You do raise a good point about using interjections during childhood. There is much to be excited and celebrated as a carefree and lighthearted child, and hopefully as adults we carry that same sentiment with us.
Keeping print outs of fun phrases in your office is a fabulous idea. Laughter really is a a fabulous cure to any issue.
Hooray Alexis! Have a happy weekend!