Alternative forms

• hallo (UK old style)
• hilloa (obsolete)
• hullo (UK)

Etymology

Hello (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!Category:Old Saxon links with redundant target parameters#HELLO, imperative of halōn (“to call, fetch”), used in hailing a ferryman, akin to Old High German hala, hola!Category:Old High German links with redundant target parameters#HELLO, imperative forms of halōn, holōn (“to fetch”). More at hallo.

OED and Merriam-Webster 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.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /hɛˈloʊ/, /həˈloʊ/, /ˈhɛloʊ/Category:English 2-syllable words#HELLOCategory:English 2-syllable words#HELLOCategory:English 2-syllable words#HELLOCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#HELLO, enPR: hĕ-lō', hə-lō'
• (UK)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /həˈləʊ/, /hɛˈləʊ/Category:English 2-syllable words#HELLOCategory:English 2-syllable words#HELLOCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#HELLO
  • (Northumbria) IPA^(key): /hæˈlaʊ/Category:English 2-syllable words#HELLOCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#HELLO

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

    Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#HELLO
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /həˈləʉ/Category:English 2-syllable words#HELLOCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#HELLO

  • Audio (General Australian):

    (file)

    Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#HELLO
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /hɛˈloː/, /həˈloː/, /ˈhɛloː/, /ˈhɛlo/Category:English 2-syllable words#HELLOCategory:English 2-syllable words#HELLOCategory:English 2-syllable words#HELLOCategory:English 2-syllable words#HELLOCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#HELLO
• (Indic) IPA^(key): /həˈlo(w)/Category:English 2-syllable words#HELLOCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#HELLO
• Rhymes: -ɛləʊCategory:Rhymes:English/ɛləʊ#HELLOCategory:Rhymes:English/ɛləʊ/2 syllables#HELLO

• Rhymes: -əʊCategory:Rhymes:English/əʊ#HELLOCategory:Rhymes:English/əʊ/2 syllables#HELLO

Interjection

helloCategory:English lemmas#HELLOCategory:English interjections#HELLOCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#HELLOCategory:Pages with entries#HELLOCategory:Pages with 3 entries#HELLO

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

   Hello, everyone.Category:English terms with usage examples#HELLO

2. A greeting used when answering the telephone.

   Hello? How may I help you?Category:English terms with usage examples#HELLO

   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Hello. This is Marsha. ― Yes, Marsha.

3. A call for response if it is not clear if anyone is present or listening, or if a telephone conversation may have been disconnected.

   Hello? Is anyone there?Category:English terms with usage examples#HELLO

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!” at the top of my lungs. […] The Colonel woke up, and, after asking what in brimstone was the matter, opened his mouth and roared “Hi!” and “Hello!” like the bull of Bashan.

     Category:English terms with quotations#HELLO

4. (colloquialCategory:English colloquialisms#HELLO) Used sarcastically to imply that the person addressed has done something the speaker considers to be foolish, or missed something that should have been obvious.

   You just tried to start your car with your cell phone. Hello?Category:English terms with usage examples#HELLO

   • 2004, Intelligent Systems, translated by Nintendo of America, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Nintendo, GameCube, level/area: Rogueport:

     Uh, hello? We're using a CANNON to get to the moon? Isn't that, like, dangerous?

     Category:English terms with quotations#HELLO

5. (chiefly UKCategory:British English#HELLO) An expression of puzzlement or discovery.

   Hello! What’s going on here?Category:English terms with usage examples#HELLO