# hi

Pronunciation: say "HY" /haɪ/

## Interjection

1. A friendly, casual greeting said when someone arrives or when you meet them.
   - Simple: A friendly word people say when they meet or greet someone.
   - _Hi, come on in and make yourself at home._
   - _Hi, everyone, sorry I'm late. Traffic on the bridge was terrible._
4. An exclamation used to catch someone's attention or to call out to them.
   - Simple: A word called out loudly to get someone's attention.
   - _"Hi!" I said again, louder, trying to snap him out of his daydream._
   - _Hi there, sir! You left your gloves on the bench back by the bus stop._

## Adjective

2. Informal spelling of high. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Informal spelling of high. You mostly see it in hyphenated words like hi-tech and hi-fi.
   - _The studio upgraded to hi-res monitors for sharper detail._
   - _They retrofitted the lab with hi-spec instruments last year._

## Noun

3. A casual greeting, especially the single friendly word offered to someone upon meeting.
   - Simple: A short, friendly greeting given to someone.
   - _A cheerful hi from the receptionist set everyone at ease._
   - _She sent a quick hi across the room with a smile._

## Interjection

5. An exclamation expressing wonder or surprise, or used to show scorn and derision. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A word used to show surprise or to make fun of something.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3–5** — As a greeting, this is American English, first recorded in 1862 in reference to the speech of a Kansas Indian. The older exclamation was originally used to attract attention and is probably a variant of Middle English "hey" or "hy" (around 1475), and is related to "hey."
**Meaning 2** — A shortened respelling of high, used mainly in compounds such as hi-fi and hi-tech.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/hi (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).