good morning
A polite greeting you use when you meet someone in the morning, usually before noon.
“Good morning, how are you today?”
“I always say good morning to my neighbor when I get the mail.”
“She walked into the office and gave a cheerful good morning to all her coworkers.”
“The hotel receptionist smiled and said good morning as I walked downstairs to find some breakfast.”
“Even though he was still very sleepy, he managed a quick good morning before pouring his first cup of coffee.”
“As the sun rose over the quiet valley, the old man offered a polite good morning to the passing traveler.”
From the Middle English *gud mornynge*, also recorded as *goode morne* or *gode morne*. It descends from the Old English *gōdne morgen*, functioning as an ellipsis for a longer sentiment such as "I wish you a good morning." The construction is a simple compound of *good* and *morning*.
Parallel forms exist across the Germanic languages, including the West Frisian *goeie moarn*, Dutch *goedemorgen*, German *guten Morgen*, Danish *god morgen*, Swedish *god morgon*, and Icelandic *góðan morgunn*.
Last updated June 7, 2026