Etymograph

English

hello

Hello is a variant of hallo, from holla, hollo, ultimately from a variant of Old English ēalā ‘oh, hey’.

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150ēalā1‘oh; hey’
  2. English1500–presentholla1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1891hello1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English hello, which cites OED
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1891, Records and Briefs in Cases Decided by t: “She is there guarding and looking after the candy…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150ēalāWiktionary, English hello, which cites OED‘oh; hey’
  2. English1500–presenthollaWiktionary, English hello, which cites OED
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1891helloWiktionary, English hello, which cites OED. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1891, Records and Briefs in Cases Decided by t: “She is there guarding and looking after the candy…”

first attested First attested in 1826 (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)

The story

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. 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’).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Old English ēalā

hallow

Today it means

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

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “hello”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Old English ēalā / hello

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