ENGLISH
REFERENCE

good morning

idiom
Meaning

A polite greeting you use when you meet someone in the morning, usually before noon.


Origin

disputed origin

From Middle English gud mornynge (also as goode morne, gode morne), from Old English *gōdne morgen (“good morning”), an ellipsis for an expression such as "I wish you a good morning", equivalent to good + morning. Compare West Frisian goeie moarn, Dutch goedemorgen, German guten Morgen, Danish god morgen, Swedish god morgon, Icelandic góðan morgunn.

Examples
SIMPLE

Good morning, how are you today?

CONTEXTUAL

She walked into the office and gave a cheerful good morning to all her coworkers.

COMPLEX

As the sun rose over the quiet valley, the old man offered a polite good morning to the passing traveler.

Last updated June 7, 2026