hello

Meanings

Noun

• "Hello!" or an equivalent greeting.

Verb

• To greet with "hello".

Related

Similar words

• greeting

Opposite words

• bye, goodbye

Origin

• Hello (first attested in 1826), from holla, hollo (attested 1588). This variant of hallo is often credited to Thomas Edison as a coinage for telephone use, but its appearance in print predates the invention of the telephone by several decades.
• Ultimately from a variant of Old English ēalā, such as hēlā, which was used colloquially at the time similarly to how hey and hi are used nowadays. Thus, equivalent to a compound of hey and lo. Used when drawing attention to yourself.
• Possibly influenced by , imperative of halōn, used in hailing a ferryman, akin to , hola, imperative forms of halōn, holōn. More at hallo.