Ahoy (greeting)
Encyclopedia
Ahoy is a word used to signal a ship
or boat
, stemming from the Middle English
cry, "Hoy!". The word had fallen into obsolescence before rising from obscurity as the sport of sailing rose in popularity. "Ahoy" can be used as a greeting, a warning, or a farewell.
Ahoy is a combination of the call "hoy" plus the sound "a", presumably added to draw more attention to the cry. "Hoy!" was a common call in England to drive cattle. The earliest known example is from William Langland
, in whose 1393 epic poem, Piers the Ploughman, the word first appears in Middle English: "And holpen to erie þis half acre with ’hoy! troly! lolly!"
"Hoi" is used in Modern Dutch
as an informal greeting equivalent to English "hi" or "hey".
Alexander Graham Bell
originally suggested "ahoy" be adopted as the standard greeting when answering a telephone, before "Hello
" (suggested by Thomas Edison
) became common. In The Simpsons
, Mr Burns is usually heard answering the phone with the greeting "Ahoy-hoy".
and Slovak language
Ahoj is a common informal greeting with social use comparable to English Hi or Hello. Etymological roots are the same as Ahoy; at the beginning of 20th century it was only a greeting of water sports and tourism, later it spread into common language.
Regarding some Czech language scientist and linguists this greeting may be an interpretation of Latin Christian farewell "Ad honorem Jesu" (to Jesus´ glory) as we do not have a trusted source for this, and it may be an artificial interpretation.
As the Czech Wikipedia says, during the German occupation in 1930s it was used as an undercover joke - an abbreviation of Adolfa Hitlera Oběsíme Jistě (we will hang Adolf Hitler for sure)
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
or boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
, stemming from the Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
cry, "Hoy!". The word had fallen into obsolescence before rising from obscurity as the sport of sailing rose in popularity. "Ahoy" can be used as a greeting, a warning, or a farewell.
Ahoy is a combination of the call "hoy" plus the sound "a", presumably added to draw more attention to the cry. "Hoy!" was a common call in England to drive cattle. The earliest known example is from William Langland
William Langland
William Langland is the conjectured author of the 14th-century English dream-vision Piers Plowman.- Life :The attribution of Piers to Langland rests principally on the evidence of a manuscript held at Trinity College, Dublin...
, in whose 1393 epic poem, Piers the Ploughman, the word first appears in Middle English: "And holpen to erie þis half acre with ’hoy! troly! lolly!"
"Hoi" is used in Modern Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
as an informal greeting equivalent to English "hi" or "hey".
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
originally suggested "ahoy" be adopted as the standard greeting when answering a telephone, before "Hello
Hello
Hello is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is attested in writing as early as the 1830s.-First use:Hello, with that spelling, was used in publications as early as 1833. These include an 1833 American book called The Sketches and Eccentricities of Col...
" (suggested by Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
) became common. In The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, Mr Burns is usually heard answering the phone with the greeting "Ahoy-hoy".
Usage in Czech and Slovak language
In CzechCzech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
and Slovak language
Slovak language
Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...
Ahoj is a common informal greeting with social use comparable to English Hi or Hello. Etymological roots are the same as Ahoy; at the beginning of 20th century it was only a greeting of water sports and tourism, later it spread into common language.
Regarding some Czech language scientist and linguists this greeting may be an interpretation of Latin Christian farewell "Ad honorem Jesu" (to Jesus´ glory) as we do not have a trusted source for this, and it may be an artificial interpretation.
As the Czech Wikipedia says, during the German occupation in 1930s it was used as an undercover joke - an abbreviation of Adolfa Hitlera Oběsíme Jistě (we will hang Adolf Hitler for sure)