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up·roar

(ŭprôr′)

1. A condition of noisy excitement and confusion; a tumult: "The uproar of the street sounded violently and hideously cacophonous" (Virginia Woolf). See Synonyms at noise.

2. An impassioned protest or heated controversy: The publication of the book caused an uproar.

[Probably by folk etymology from Middle Low German uprōr : up-, up (from up); see upo in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + rōr, motion; see kerə- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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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