Good Morning, digital neighbors! Happy Friday to all you Friends & Refugees, Early Birds & Later-Dayers, Conversants & Lurkers, Pham & Misfits, Freethinkers & Questioners, ADD Irregulars, WSN Curators and Crusty Curmudgeons, and all the rest of you hooligans on the internet! Friday is Word of the Day, and since I enjoy these salutations, how about the etymology of a few of the? Thank you, Susie Dent, for a fun book! Interesting Stories about Curious Words: From Stealing Thunder to Red Herring.

Long time no see — A mock traditional greeting to a person one has not seen for a long time. It is a form of Pidgin English based on Chinese hăo jiǔ méi jiàn.

Hello — A common expression of greeting or of surprise, the latter sometimes in expanded form, as: “Why, hello!” The word itself is a variant of “hollo,” in turn a form of “holla,” a call for attention, from French holà, “ho, there.” There are many alternative spellings, most dating back to the 19th century.

Farewell — Since the 14th century, “farewell” has been an expression of good wishes at the parting of friends, originally addressed to someone setting out on a journey, wishing that they “fare well” or prosper. It eventually became a standard show of civility at parting. Today, it is mostly restricted to poetic use and often comes with a tinge of regret.