hubbub

hubbub · noun, verb¹

In early use, the noun is often mentioned as a cry by Irish people, and so is possibly borrowed from Irish; compare Irish ababú, abú (“used as a battle cry”), and Scottish Gaelic ub, ub, ubub (“used to express contempt, etc.”), ubh ubh (“used to express disgust”). The verb is derived from the noun.

hubbub · noun²

Used by New England colonists (17th–18th century) to imitate the sounds hub, hub, hub cried by the players: see the 1634 quotation.

First known use, by meaning

• from mid 16th c. A confused sound of a crowd of people shouting or speaking simultaneously; an uproar.