English Explanatory Dictionary

hooley

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A noisy celebration or party; also, an evening of traditional music and dance.
  2. Chiefly in the form to blow a hooley: a strong wind; a gale.
name
  1. A surname.
  2. A small village in Reigate and Banstead borough, Surrey, England, just outside Greater London (OS grid ref TQ2856).

Pronunciation

/ˈhuːli/ /ˈhuli/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-hoolie.wav En-au-hoolie.ogg

Word forms

hooley hooleys hoolie

Etymology

The etymology of sense 1 (“noisy celebration or party”) is unknown. Sense 2 (“strong wind”) is possibly from one of the following: * Borrowed from Orkney Scots hool(an) (“strong wind”) + English -ie (diminutive suffix). Hoolan is derived from Norn (unattested), from Old Norse ýlun (“howling, wailing”), from ýla (“to howl”) (ultimately onomatopoeic) + -un (suffix forming nouns). * From sense 1.

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