ciao

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ciao (“hello, goodbye”), from Venetian ciao (“hello, goodbye, your (humble) servant”), from Venetian s-ciao / s-ciavo (“servant, slave”), from Medieval Latin sclavus (“Slav, slave”), related also to Italian schiavo, English Slav, slave and Old Venetian S-ciavón ("Slav"), from Latin Sclavonia (“Slavonia”). Not related to Vietnamese chào (“hello, goodbye”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʃaʊ/
• Rhymes: -aʊ
• Homophone: chow

Interjection

ciao

1. hello, hi.
2. bye, goodbye.

Noun

ciao (plural ciaos)

1. A greeting or farewell using the word "ciao".
   • 2010, Robert V. Camuto, Palmento: A Sicilian Wine Odyssey (page 16)

     […] he excused himself, disappearing in a cloud of ciaos and operatic Italian.

   • 2007, Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince, Bahamas For Dummies (page 196)

     You hear more ciaos than hellos. Guests play bocce ball on the beach and dine on Italian and some Bahamian cuisine. Because of its strong Continental overlay, the cuisine is better here than at your typical Grand Bahama hotel.

Usage notes

In UK and in US usage, ciao is considered pretentious by some.

Anagrams

• Coia, ICAO

Interjection

ciao

1. (Sappada) hello, hi, ciao

References

• Umberto Patuzzi, ed., (2013) Ünsarne Börtar, Luserna: Comitato unitario delle linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien.

Alternative forms

• tchao

Etymology

From Italian ciao (“hello, goodbye”), from Venetian ciao (“hullo, goodbye; your (humble) servant”), from Venetian s-ciao (“servant, slave”) or s-ciavo (“servant, slave”), from Medieval Latin sclavus (“Slav, slave”), related also to Italian schiavo, English Slav, slave and old Venetian S-ciavón ("Slav"), from Latin Sclavonia (“Slavonia”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʃa.o/, /tʃaw/

Interjection

ciao

1. ciao

Further reading

• “ciao” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Etymology

Borrowed from Venetian s-ciao, sciavo (“slave”) (in particular the expression s-ciao vostro, literally meaning "(I am) your slave" but in essence meaning "I am at your service", or "your humble servant"), from Medieval Latin sclavus (“slave”) (whence also standard Italian schiavo); in the Venetian language originally pronounced /stʃaʊ/. Development and use is similar to the Central European greeting of servus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃao/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cià‧o

Interjection

ciao!

1. Hello!
2. Goodbye!
   • Early 1940s, written by an unknown Italian partisan, Bella Ciao (Goodbye, beautiful!):

     È questo il fiore del partigiano,
     o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
     È questo il fiore del partigiano,
     morto per la libertà!

     This is the flower of the partisan,
     Oh beautiful, goodbye! Beautiful, goodbye! Beautiful, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye!
     This is the flower of the partisan,
     Who died for freedom!

Anagrams

• Caio

Interjection

ciao

1. Alternative spelling of chau