halloo

Etymology

From Middle English hallow (“pursue, urge on”), from Old French haloer, which is imitative.

Interjection

halloo

1. Used to greet someone, or to catch their attention.
2. Used in hunting to urge on the pursuers.

Noun

halloo (plural halloos)

1. A shout of halloo.
   • Milton

     List! List! I hear / Some far-off halloo break the silent air.

Verb

halloo (third-person singular simple present halloos or hallooes, present participle hallooing, simple past and past participle hallooed)

1. To shout halloo.
   • 1857, S. H. Hammond, Wild Northern Scenes‎:

     As our object was rather to enjoy the music of the chase, than to capture the deer, they shouted and hallooed as he entered the water, and he wheeled back, and went tearing in huge affright through the woods, up the island again.

   • 1907, William Hope Hodgson, The Boats of the "Glen Carrig"‎:

     As we ran, we hallooed, and so came upon the boy, and I saw that he had my sword.

   • 1917, Charles S. Brooks, There's Pippins And Cheese To Come‎:

     We hallooed again, to rouse the trapper.

2. To encourage with shouts.
   • Prior

     Old John hallooes his hounds again.

3. To chase with shouts or outcries.
   • Shakespeare

     If I fly […] / Halloo me like a hare.

4. To call or shout to; to hail.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

Anagrams

• holloa