'hurrah' originates from German, specifically the word 'hurra' (sometimes written 'hurrà'), where it was used as an exclamation of triumph and encouragement.

'hurrah' entered English via contact with continental European languages in the early modern period. It is related to German 'hurra' and similar forms in Slavic languages (e.g. Polish 'hura', Russian 'ura') and Dutch 'hoera'; these parallels influenced English adoption and the development of variant spellings such as 'hurray' and 'huzzah'.

Initially, it functioned mainly as a battle-cry or shout used in military and hunting contexts ('a call of triumph'), but over time it broadened to a general exclamation of joy, approval, or encouragement in civilian contexts.