all hail
/ˌɔl ˈheɪl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.92 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
intj
Used as a friendly or respectful salutation to acclaim, greet, or welcome someone: (I wish you) all health or good fortune!
intj
Chiefly followed by to (someone or something): used as a salutation to indicate that someone or something is respected or welcome.
noun
A salutation of "all hail" (interjection interjection sense 1); hence, a salutation indicating respect or welcome.
Example Sentences
- "And as they [Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary"] went to tell his diſciples: beholde⸝ Jeſus met them ſayinge: All hayle. And they came and held him by the fete ⁊ worſhipped him."
- "Alhayle O contrey myne by deſtnye due, / And you alhayll (ꝙ [quoth] he,) O Troian gods of promiſe true."
- "[…] Iudas kiſt his maſter [Jesus], / And cried all haile, vvhen as he meant all harme."
- "Yet I vvell remember / The fauors of theſe men: vvere they not mine? / Did they not ſometime cry, All hayle to me? / So Iudas did to Chriſt: but he in tvvelue, / Found truth in all, but one; I, in tvvelue thouſand, none."
- "All Hail Illuſtrious Daughter of a King, / Shining vvithout, and Glorious all vvithin, […]"
- "GOD, the Eternal! Infinite! All-Wise!— / Who out of darkness on the deep didst make / Light on the waters with a word—all hail! / Jehovah, with returning light, all hail!"
Etymology
The interjection is derived from Middle English al-heil, al heyl (“used as a salutation when meeting someone: your health!, hello!”), from al (“denoting totality”) + heil, heyl (“health, welfare; good fortune”, noun): * Al is derived from Old English eall, from Proto-West Germanic *all (“all”), from Proto-Germanic *allaz (“all; entire, whole”); further etymology uncertain, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“beyond; other”). * Heil is from Old Norse heill (“hale, healthy; whole”, adjective), from Proto-Germanic *hailaz (“hale, healthy; entire, whole”), from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos (“healthy; whole”)). The noun is derived from the interjection.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *h₂el-, al-heil, eall, *all, *allaz, heill
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌɔl ˈheɪl/
- British English: /ˌɔːl ˈheɪl/