Who invented hello

The first record of the word goes back to the s, when it was used less as a greeting and more as an expression of surprise.

But what were people saying before the s to greet each other? A common word people used all the way from the Middle Ages through Shakespeare's time was "hail. The widespread use of "hello" as a greeting is thanks to Thomas Edison. After Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in the late s, people needed a way to answer the new device, and Edison took it upon himself to come up with a salutation. David on August 15, , explaining his solution.

What do you think? I said they were esteemed acquaintances of mine, and asked him to say that I was well. But he refused to do this, notwithstanding all my politeness, and was profane again. I never saw such a firebrand as he was. Now, what can that young fellow mean by going around asking respectable people if they are clerks of Senate Committees? If my feelings are to be outraged in this way I cannot stay in Washington.

This young party turned out to be an importation from Kalamazoo, and he wished to ship [as] a sub-clerk to the Judiciary Committee.

He is a little fresh. It might have been better if he had stayed in the Kalamazoological Gardens until he got his growth, perhaps. Still, if his friends would like to have the opinion of a stranger concerning him, I think he will make a success here in one way or another. He has spirit and persistence. While Twain may have complained about too much hello back then , today, the word can be the first step toward meaningful and respectful communication.

And there can never be too much of that. Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice? The awkward case of 'his or her'. Take the quiz. Our Favorite New Words How many do you know? True or False? Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something a Supposedly his rival Thomas Edison suggested hello , while Bell stubbornly clung to ahoy , and well—you know which one stuck around. Interesting trivia: h ello-girls was the name for the central telephone exchange operators. Hi is equivalent to hello, but it is considered a little bit more informal in tone.

In fact, it was recorded a lot earlier than hello. Hi developed from the Middle English hy , similar to hey and ha. Every hello brings with it an inevitable goodbye. Find out why we say goodbye in the first place and the numerous other ways you can bid farewell.