greet
English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
From Middle English greten, from Old English grētan, from Proto-Germanic *grōtijaną.
Verb[edit]
greet (third-person singular simple present greets, present participle greeting, simple past and past participle greeted)
- (transitive) To welcome in a friendly manner, either in person or through another means such as writing.
- c. 1593, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene i]:
- My lord, the mayor of London comes to greet you.
- 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, The House Behind the Cedars, Chapter I,
- Warwick observed, as they passed through the respectable quarter, that few people who met the girl greeted her, and that some others whom she passed at gates or doorways gave her no sign of recognition; from which he inferred that she was possibly a visitor in the town and not well acquainted.
- (transitive) To arrive at or reach, or meet.
- 1707, Joseph Addison, Rosamond, Act I, scene 4
- In vain the spring my senses greets.
- 2009, Loren Long, Phil Bildner, Magic in the Outfield (page 47)
- Way deep in left field, where the carpet of green sloped upward to a terrace and greeted the thick line of trees, he reached out his glove.
- 1707, Joseph Addison, Rosamond, Act I, scene 4
- (transitive) To accost; to address.
- 1725, Homer; [Alexander Pope], transl., “(please specify the book or chapter of the Odyssey)”, in The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume V, London: […] Bernard Lintot, OCLC 8736646:
- Fair on his feet the polish'd sandals shine,
And thus he greets the master of the swine:
- (intransitive, archaic) To meet and give salutations.
- c. 1588–1593, William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene ii], line 90:
- There greet in silence, as the dead are wont, And sleep in peace.
- (transitive) To be perceived by (somebody).
- 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
- From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.
- A brilliant dawn greeted her eyes as she looked out of the window.
Conjugation[edit]
infinitive | (to) greet | ||
---|---|---|---|
present tense | past tense | ||
1st-person singular | greet | greeted | |
2nd-person singular | greet, greetest* | greeted, greetedst* | |
3rd-person singular | greets, greeteth* | greeted | |
plural | greet | ||
subjunctive | greet | ||
imperative | greet | — | |
participles | greeting | greeted |
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
|
|
|
|
Etymology 2[edit]
From Middle English greet, grete (“great”).
Adjective[edit]
greet (comparative more greet, superlative most greet)
Etymology 3[edit]
From a blend of two Old English verbs, grētan, grǣtan (itself from Proto-Germanic *grētaną); and of Old English grēotan (itself from Proto-Germanic *greutaną), both meaning "to weep, lament".
Verb[edit]
greet (third-person singular simple present greets, present participle greeting, simple past and past participle greeted or grat or grutten)
- (Scotland, Northern England) To weep; to cry.
- 1933, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Cloud Howe, Polygon 2006 (A Scots Quair), page 312:
- And damn't! if he didn't take down her bit things and scone her so sore she grat like a bairn [...].
- 2008, James Kelman, Kieron Smith, Boy, Penguin 2009, page 2:
- My maw went potty and started greeting.
- 1933, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Cloud Howe, Polygon 2006 (A Scots Quair), page 312:
Related terms[edit]
Noun[edit]
greet (uncountable)
Further reading[edit]
- Frank Graham (1987) The New Geordie Dictionary, →ISBN
- Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893–4
- “greet” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
Anagrams[edit]
Middle English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old English grēat, in turn from Proto-Germanic *grautaz.
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
greet (plural and weak singular greete, comparative greter, superlative gretest)
- great (large, significant)
- c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)[1], published c. 1410, James 3:5, page 110vre, column 1; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:
- ſo alſo þe tunge is but a litle membꝛe ⁊ reiſiþ grete þingis / lo hou litil fier bꝛenneþ a grete wode.
- Similarly, the tongue's only a little organ, but it produces great things; look at how a small fire burns down a large forest.
Descendants[edit]
Scots[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
From a blend of two Old English verbs, grētan (cognate with Swedish gråta', Danish græde) and grēotan (of uncertain ultimate origin), both ‘weep, lament’.
Verb[edit]
greet (third-person singular simple present greets, present participle greetin, simple past grat or grettit, past participle grutten)
- to weep, lament
- 2008, Gordon Jarvie, Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales from Burns to Buchan, Penguin UK, →ISBN:
- Then Sandy jumpit oot the boat, an he ran an ran greetin an sobbin an sobbin an greetin. An when he ran up tae the fairm, this ceilidh's still gaun on, see? an the pot o sowens is still on the fire! An he cam in howlin an greetin an sobbin, an the laird says tae him, ‘Whit's adae wi ye, Sandy?
- (please add an English translation of this quote)
- 2013, Donal McLaughlin, transl., Naw Much of a Talker, Freight Books, translation of Der Goalie bin ig by Pedro Lenz, page 5:
- Thinking o Regula hid me greetin aw ae a sudden.
- (please add an English translation of this quote)
Noun[edit]
greet (uncountable)
Etymology 2[edit]
Adjective[edit]
greet (comparative greeter, superlative greetest)
- Alternative form of great
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/iːt
- Rhymes:English/iːt/1 syllable
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with quotations
- English intransitive verbs
- English terms with archaic senses
- English terms with usage examples
- English adjectives
- English terms with obsolete senses
- Scottish English
- Northern England English
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- Geordie English
- Northumbrian English
- en:Talking
- Middle English terms inherited from Old English
- Middle English terms derived from Old English
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English adjectives
- Middle English terms with quotations
- enm:Size
- Scots terms with IPA pronunciation
- Scots terms derived from Old English
- Scots lemmas
- Scots verbs
- Scots terms with quotations
- Scots nouns
- Scots uncountable nouns
- Scots adjectives