Hallo
/ˈhæloʊ/noun
A greeting used to attract attention or begin a phone conversation.
Did you know?The modern greeting developed from attention-getting cries like Middle English and dialectal forms of ‘hallo/hollo,’ which were used to hail someone, call a hunt, or shout in surprise.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*halōn
“to call, summon”
Old English
OE
halian
“to call, summon, fetch”
Middle English
ME
hallo
“a shout used to attract attention or express surprise”
19th Century
English
hello
“an exclamation used in greeting or to answer a telephone”
Modern English
English
hello
“a greeting or attention-getting exclamation”