Merhaba
/meɾ.haˈbaː/noun
A Turkish greeting meaning “hello” or “welcome.”
Did you know?The Arabic form marḥaban is grammatically an accusative expression connected to marḥab, “a spacious place,” making the greeting sound like an invocation of welcome and room to enter.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*raḥab-
“To be broad, spacious, or roomy”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
marḥab
“A spacious place or room”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
marḥaban
“A welcoming expression, literally associated with spaciousness”
Medieval Turkish
Turkish
merhaba
“A greeting adopted from Arabic”
Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish
merhaba
“Hello; welcome”
Modern Turkish
Turkish
merhaba
“Hello; a standard greeting”