HELLO

Meaning

A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

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 (in some dialects) hi are used nowadays. Thus, equivalent to a compound of hey and lo. Used when drawing attention to yourself. Possibly influenced by Old Saxon halo, imperative of halōn (“to call, fetch”), used in hailing a ferryman, akin to Old High German hala, hola!, imperative forms of halōn, holōn (“to fetch”). For more information, see hallo. The Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster Dictionary also suggested that it is a variant of holla, a variant of holloo. Further beyond, the origin remains uncertain. OED and Merriam-Webster suggested that it has a connection between hallow (“to shout, to cry out loud”), which came from Old French holloer, which, according to Altfranzösisches Wörterbuch, is from Old Saxon halōn.

Synonyms & Antonyms

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 14 recorded puzzles:

• 2026-08-09HACELOT
• 2026-04-25OENIHLP
• 2025-11-25EAONLGH
• 2025-10-18OCEHLNU
• 2025-09-19EGPIOLH
• 2025-04-06LEOIHNT
• 2024-12-14HANECLO
• 2024-10-19ECULONH
• 2024-10-09OANHELT
• 2024-09-28LEYTOHG
• 2024-03-23ECOHGLW
• 2024-02-03ONALGEH

+2 earlier appearances in the archive.