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bal·ly·hoo¹

(bălē-h′)

n. pl. bal·ly·hoos

1. Sensational or clamorous advertising or publicity.

2. Noisy shouting or uproar.

tr.v. bal·ly·hooed, bal·ly·hoo·ing, bal·ly·hoos

To advertise or publicize by sensational methods.

[Origin unknown.]

bal·ly·hoo ²

(bălē-h′)

n. pl. ballyhoo or bal·ly·hoos

A halfbeak (Hemiramphus brasiliensis) of the western Atlantic Ocean, often used as bait for saltwater fishing.

[American Spanish balajú, balao, halfbeak, probably of Taíno origin.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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