hello

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WOTD - 19 November 2007    
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[edit] English

[edit] Alternative forms

[edit] Etymology

Hello (first attested in 1846) from hallo (attested 1840), 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.

Possibly from the Old High German & Old Saxon verb halôn, holôn (“to bring something, to gather”), akin to English hale or hail.

[edit] Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA: /həˈləʊ̯/, /hɛˈləʊ̯/, SAMPA: /h@"l@U/
  • (US) enPR: hĕ-lō' or hə-lō', IPA: /hɛˈloʊ̯/, /həˈloʊ̯/, SAMPA: /hE"loU/, /h@"loU/
  • Audio (UK)
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(telephone greeting):
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(call for response):
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(sarcastic implication):
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(expressing puzzlement):
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[edit] Interjection

hello

  1. A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence.
    Hello, everyone.
  2. A greeting used when answering the telephone.
    Hello? How may I help you?
  3. A call for response if it is not clear if anyone is present or listening, or if a telephone conversation may have been disconnected.
    Hello? Is anyone there?
  4. (colloquial) Used sarcastically to imply that the person addressed or referred to has done something the speaker or writer considers to be foolish.
    You just tried to start your car with your cell phone. Hello?
  5. An expression of puzzlement or discovery.
    Hello! What’s going on here?

[edit] Usage notes

  • The greeting hello is among the most generic and neutral in use. It may be heard in nearly all social situations and in nearly all walks of life, and is unlikely to cause offense.
  • In some languages and cultures the expression for hello is not a mere greeting but also includes a notion of well-wishing. For example, the

Jewish greeting שלום עליכם (he) (shalom ‘aleykhem) means "may peace be upon you".

Muslim greeting السلام عليكم (ar) (as-salāmu ‘alaykum) where السلام means peace, عليـ means upon and كم means you.

[edit] Quotations

[edit] Synonyms

[edit] Antonyms

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Translations

greeting
when answering the telephone
is anyone there?
sarcastic: that was foolish
expression of puzzlement
  • Afrikaans: please add this translation if you can
  • Arabic: please add this translation if you can
  • Belarusian: але (be) (alé)
  • Catalan: conill! (ca)
  • Dutch: hallo (nl)!
  • French: please add this translation if you can
  • German: hallo (de)
  • Hebrew: please add this translation if you can
  • Icelandic: halló (is)
  • Japanese: 本当？ (hontō, Sure?, formal), 冗談だろ？ (jōdan daro, You are joking, formal and informal), 大丈夫？ (daijōbu? = Are you all right?, formal and informal), 大丈夫かよ？ (daijōbu kayo? = Are you all right?, more informal), マジ？ (maji? = Are you sure?, You're kidding!, informal), マジかよ (maji kayo? = Are you sure?, You're kidding!, more informal)
  • Lojban: ki'a (jbo)
  • Norwegian: please add this translation if you can
  • Slovene: hej (sl)!
  • Swedish: men hallå (sv)
  • Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
  • West Frisian: hallo!
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

[edit] Noun

hello (plural hellos)

  1. "Hello!" or an equivalent greeting.
    • 2007 April 29, Stephanie Rosenbloom, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”, New York Times:
      In many new buildings, though, neighbors are venturing beyond tight-lipped hellos at the mailbox.

[edit] See also

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