ave
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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
- (literary) Hail! or farewell! used as a greeting or leave-taking.
Noun
- An expression of greeting or farewell.
- (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
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ 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
- ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins