What's the meaning of hello?

Question

In most languages the common greeting originally meant something, like salut, zdravo, geia, hairete, grüss Gott, salom, it is usually a wish for good health, joy, peace ect. What's the origin of hello/hi in english, hallo in german and ciao in italian? Did they originally mean something?

Answer 1

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]

Answer 2

What's the meaning of hello?

In most languages the common greeting originally meant something, like salut, zdravo, geia, hairete, grüss Gott, salom, it is usually a wish for good health, joy, peace ect. What's the origin of hello/hi in english, hallo in german and ciao in italian? Did they originally mean something?

Answer 3

''Hello'' was created only recently for use on the telephone system - that is why early switchboard operators were known as 'Hello Girls'. Normally we say Good morning, or Good afternoon, but Hello is easier to say and hear.

Answer 4

Yeet

Answer 5

The words you mention, mean exactly what you said...a wish for good health, etc..., "Hello" is also what you mention....a greeting. Let it go. You are...shall we say... over-thinking.

Answer 6

Hello probably means acknowledgement, or by that i'm simply saying i've seen you and i'm just letting you know i'm around.

Answer 7

difficult point lookup over search engines like google that will can assist