Hear, hear is anexpression which represents a listener's agreement with the point being made by a speaker or in response to atoast.
The phrasehear him, hear him! was used inParliament from late in the 17th century, and was reduced tohear! orhear, hear! by the late 18th century. The verbhear had earlier been used in theKing James Bible as a command for others to listen.[1]
Other phrases have been derived fromhear, hear, such asa hear, hear (a cheer),to hear-hear (to shout the expression), andhear-hearer (a person who does the same).[1]
It was originally animperative for directing attention to speakers, and has since been used, according to theOxford English Dictionary, as "the regular form of cheering in theHouse of Commons", with many purposes, depending on theintonation of its user.[1] Its use in Parliament is linked to the fact thatapplause is normally (though not always) forbidden in the chambers of the House of Commons andHouse of Lords.[2] It is also used in other parliaments established in the Westminster tradition, such as Australia[3] and Canada.[4]
The dictionary definition ofhear, hear at Wiktionary
