Word
ahoy
US/əˈhɔɪ/
UK/ɐhˈɔɪ/
Definition
n. a friendly way to say hello, often used by sailors or in a playful way. It is a bit old-fashioned and sounds like a pirate greeting.
n. a greeting used by sailors or in a lighthearted manner to attract attention. Often used in nautical contexts or as a humorous alternative to 'hello'.
Examples
“Ahoy, mate! How are you today?”
“The captain shouted 'Ahoy' as the ship finally came into view of the harbor.”
Examples
simple
“Ahoy, mate! How are you today?”
contextual
“The captain shouted 'Ahoy' as the ship finally came into view of the harbor.”
Etymology
From a- + hoy (a nautical call used in hauling), from Middle English hoy (interjection), a greeting dating back to the fourteenth century. Compare Dutch hoi (“hi!, hello!”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/ahoy