ave

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɑːveɪ/, /ˈæveɪ/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin avē (“hail; farewell”), the singular imperative of avēre, to be or fare well,^[2][3][4] perhaps from Punic ḥwy, live!^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Short for Ave Maria, the Hail Mary: about 1230, the early 13th century in Etymonline.^[6][2]

Semantic evolution

As an interjection, hail! welcome! or farewell!, it is from 1377,^[6] and a farewell as a noun from 1603.^[6] The beads of a rosary for the Aves said are from 1463,^[6] and the Ave-bell, rung at the hours of the Angelus, from 1635.^[6] A verb ave, to hail or acclaim, is from 1611.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 1230 – an Ave Maria.^[6]
• 1377 – hail! farewell!^[6]
• 1463 – rosary beads.^[6]
• 1603 – a farewell (noun).^[6]
• 1635 – Ave-bell.^[6]

Modern meaning

Interjection

1. (literary) Hail! or farewell! used as a greeting or leave-taking.

Noun

1. An expression of greeting or farewell.
2. (Ave) The Hail Mary, or one of the beads of a rosary used to count it.

Related words

• Ave Maria
• vale

Usage notes

Ave is also an abbreviation of avenue.^[7]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins