ext_147905 ([identity profile] prettygoodword.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] 1word1day2010-11-25 09:11 am
Entry tags:

tohubohu

tohubohu (TOH-hoo-BOH-hoo) - n., chaos, confusion, disorder.


From Hebrew, from tōhū wā-bhōhū, from tōhū, formless/confusion + bhōhū, emptiness -- the phrase coming from the state of the world in Genesis 1:2 before the Creator started work. Borrowed into English around 1615 -- I'm not able to find when the Hebrew short form showed up. With apologies for the Stateside-centric example, but the word fits my mood today:

We're skipping the tohubohu of my in-law's Thanksgiving dinner and having a quiet feast with just ourselves.

---L.