ciao

ciao · interjection

imported

Definitions

interjection

  1. 1.

    An informal greeting or farewell, borrowed from Italian.

  2. 2.

    Used as both hello and goodbye in casual contexts.

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    ciao bella/bello — Italian for "hello beautiful" (feminine/masculine).
  • •
    ciao for now — A casual way of saying goodbye temporarily.

Related words

See also: arrivederci, goodbye, hello
Synonyms: bye, goodbye, hello, hi

Etymology

From Italian ciao, which derives from Venetian dialect s-ciào ("I am your slave"), a shortened form of s-ciào vostro ("I am your slave"), from Medieval Latin sclavus ("slave"). Originally a formal greeting that became informal over time.