"hasten along, move precipitately," 1810, perhaps from hurry-scurry (1732), a reduplication of hurry (v.), or imitative. As a noun, "a hurried movement, fluttering or bustling haste," 1823, from the verb.
Entries linking to scurry
hurry v.
1590s, transitive and intransitive, first recorded in Shakespeare, who used it often; perhaps a variant of harry (v.), or perhaps a West Midlands sense of Middle English hurren "to vibrate rapidly, buzz" (of insects), from Proto-Germanic *hurza "to move with haste" (source also of Middle High German hurren "to whir, move fast," Old Swedish hurra "to whirl round"), which also perhaps is the root of hurl (v.). To hurry up "make haste" is from 1890. Related: hurried; hurrying.
hurry-scurry
1732 (adj.), 1750 (adv.), 1754 (n.); probably a reduplication of hurry formed with awareness of scurry.