χαιρετισμός
chairetismós/çe.ɾe.tiˈzmos/masculine
The Greek word for "greeting" is χαιρετισμός (chairetismós).
χαιρετισμός is a masculine noun used to describe the acknowledgement of a person's presence or arrival.
Meaning: acknowledgement of a persons presence or arrival (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is derived from the verb χαιρετώ (chairetó), which means "to greet" or "to rejoice".
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form is χαιρετισμός, while the genitive singular form is χαιρετισμού, which translates to "of the greeting".
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /çe.ɾe.tiˈzmos/. It has four syllables, with the stress on the fourth syllable: chairetismós.
Did you know?
- While χαιρετισμός is the general term for a greeting, the most common actual greeting γεια is a shortened form of γεια σου, which literally means 'health to you'.
- In Greek culture, a traditional greeting often involves a double or triple kiss on the cheeks, which is a physical χαιρετισμός that varies in number depending on the region.
- The root of the word is shared with the English word 'charity' via the Greek 'χάρις' (charis), which relates to grace and favor. This links the warmth of a greeting to the concept of being gracious.
Example sentences for Greek are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “greeting” translations and entries χαιρετισμός, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
