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The Old English verb, hǽlan (1. wv/t1b 1 to heal, cure, save; greet, salute; gehǽl! Hosanna!), may be the ultimate origin of the word. Hǽlan is likely a cognate of German Heil and other similar words of Germanic origin. Bill Bryson asserts in his book Mother Tongue that "hello" comes from Old English hál béo þu ("Hale be thou", or "whole be thou", meaning a wish for good health).

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What is the meaning of Ave in Roman?

Similar to the English word "hail" it was a form of greeting, much like hello.


How would you say hello in medieval times France?

Old French used the word "ha" as a greeting: it means hello, but it also means any word of surprise or happiness such as ha!


What are the origins of G'day?

The phrase G'day originated in Australia and New Zealand. It is an informal abbreviated greeting that means have a good day or hello.


What is the origin of hello?

1883, alt. of hallo (1840), itself an alt. of holla, hollo, a shout to attract attention, first recorded 1588. Perhaps from holla! "stop, cease." Popularity as a greeting coincides with use of the telephone, where it won out over Alexander Graham Bell's suggestion, ahoy. Central telephone exchange operators were known as hello-girls (1889). "Hello, formerly an Americanism, is now nearly as common as hullo in Britain (Say who you are; do not just say 'hello' is the warning given in our telephone directories) and the Englishman cannot be expected to give up the right to say hello if he likes it better than his native hullo. [H.W. Fowler, "A Dictionary of Modern English Usage," 1926] http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hello It is true that Bell advocated the use of "ahoy" as a telephonic greeting (an idea which has considerable charm), but Edison didn't invent "hello" by a long shot. As a matter of fact, "hello" antedates the telephone by several centuries. Folks in Chaucer's time greeted each other with "hallow," which may have come from the Old French "hola," meaning essentially "stop!" or "whoa!" By the time the telephone came along, Americans were saying "hullo" to each other every day, so it was a short jump to "hello." I had a friend years ago who persisted in answering his telephone by saying "telephone," a daring innovation which made perfect sense to me but which I, sadly, lacked the courage to help popularize. In any case, "hello" as a telephone greeting now seems to be nearly worldwide. A few years ago I dialed a long-distance call to what I thought was Connecticut, but the man who answered the phone spoke no English beyond "hello." This is not terribly unusual these days, but when I received my phone bill, I found that I had inadvertently discovered yet another place where they answer the telephone with "hello" -- Cairo, Egypt. http://www.word-detective.com/back-l2.html#hello Alexander Graham Bell encouraged the use of 'ahoy, ahoy' when answering his "electrical speech machine." Although Bell was not a sailor, 'ahoy' is thought to have nautical roots, perhaps giving us the popular 'hi." Ahoy, ahoy' was used by operators at the world's first telephone exchange set up in Connecticut in 1878. By 1889 however, telephone operators had become known as 'hello-girls. 'Hello or hullo is commonly used today. Legend suggests that Thomas Edison first used 'hello' on the telephone but hello's etymology predates the telephone. There are innumerable theories about where the word 'hello' comes from. One suggestion is that it is an adaptation of the old French, 'hola', meaning stop or cease. Another is that its origin is 'halloo', a once common call to a passing ferry boat operator. It may even have a biblical source, as a contraction of 'whole be thou' or 'Hail! Thou." By the 1880's hello was ubiquitous in everyday speech. http://earliestlark.com/2007/09/06/ahoy-ahoy/


How you say hello in hieroglyphics?

Well, honey, to say "hello" in hieroglyphics, you'd use the symbols for "bread loaf" and "owl" which spell out "r n." So, just slap those bad boys together and you've got yourself a sassy ancient Egyptian greeting. Just make sure you don't accidentally summon any mummies while you're at it!

Related Questions

What do hello and hi mean?

Hello is a greeting, while Hi is an informal greeting.


What is the definition of hello?

"Hello" is a word used to express a greeting, answer a telephone, or attract attention.The modern slang use of "hello" is used derisively to question the comprehension, intelligence, or common sense of the person being addressed, e.g. You're gonna go out with him? Hello?!Origin : 1865-70; a variant of hallo (a greeting or form of hailing)


What is hello for Tetum?

"Hello" in Tetum is "bondia" for a formal greeting or "ola" for a more informal greeting.


How do you say helllo in Fiji?

Hello in Fijian is Bula (informal greeting) Bula Vinaka (formal greeting)


Is hello an adjective?

No, it is a noun. Hello is an utterance, a polite greeting.


What is a greeting that is not old?

an informal greeting is something like hi whereas the formal version should be hello an informal greeting is something like hi whereas the formal version should be hello


What is the hello greeting for Venezuela?

bye


What is the phrase 'hello how are you?

It's a greeting.


Can someone say hello to you?

If someone simply feels like greeting you, they can. Hello is a greeting that people constantly say to each other.


Use of the hello in countries?

In the UK you will can hello as a greeting to somebody when you meet them.


Can you provide a warm greeting that includes the keyword "hello" and other similar expressions?

Here is a warm greeting that includes the keyword "hello" and similar expressions: "Hello and welcome! Greetings, salutations, and a hearty hello to you!"


What is the spanish word for hello?

hello = holapronounced (OH-lah).The polite greeting "good day" is buenos dias. Another greeting is saludo.Hola. They speak Spanish.