Ciao
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Template:Wiktionary The word ciao (pronounced somewhat like chow, and occasionally misspelled as such) is an informal verbal salutation or greeting, meaning "goodbye" or (more rarely) "hello".
Originally from the Venetian language, it was adopted by Italian and eventually entered the vocabulary of English and of many other languages around the world. Presently, the word is mostly used as "goodbye" in English, but in other languages it may mean "hello", "goodbye", or both.
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Etymology
The word comes from the Venetian s-ciàvo or s-ciào, meaning "slave" (cf. Italian schiavo). Originally it was said by a servant to his boss, or as a formal greeting among the aristocracy when there was rank involved. In either case, the implied sense was "I am your slave."
This greeting is analogous to the Latin Servus, which is still current in Hungary, Austria, and Bavaria.
The word s-ciào is still used in Venetian as an exclamation of resignation in unavoidable situations.
Spread
The Venetian greeting, shortened to ciào, soon lost all its servile connotations, and came to be used as an informal salutation by speakers of all classes. It was adopted by the Italian language, with the spelling ciao, presumably during the golden days of the Venetian Republic. It has since spread to many countries in Europe, along with other items of the Italian culture. In the late 19th and early 20th century, the salute spread to the Americas—especially Chile, Brazil, and Argentina—largely by way of Italian immigrants. Ernest Hemingway is credited with bringing the word into the English language.
Usage as greeting
In contemporary Italian usage, ciao is interchangeable for both hello and goodbye, much as aloha in Hawaii or shalom in Israel. In other countries it has come to have more specific meanings. The following list summarizes the spelling and uses of this salutation in various languages and countries.
- Bulgarian чао (transliterated as chao; "goodbye")
- Czech: čau ("hello" or "goodbye")
- English: ciao ("goodbye")
- French: ciao ("goodbye")
- Germany, esp. by younger people: ciao ("hello" or "goodbye")
- Italian: ciao ("hello" or "goodbye")
- Macedonian: чао ("goodbye")
- Portuguese, esp. in Brazil: tchau ("goodbye")
- Romanian: ciao or rarely ciau ("goodbye")
- Spanish, esp. in Latin America: chau or chao ("goodbye")
- Croatian: ćao
- Slovene: čao
- Slovak: čau ("goodbye", less frequently "hello")
- Venetian: ciào ("hello" or "goodbye")
Uses as titles and names
The greeting has also often been used as a name:
- Ciao, a leading girls' Anime and Manga magazine published by Shogakukan; see Ciao (magazine).
- Ciao, an e-commerce site; see Ciao (shopping comparison portal).
- Ciao Bella, an international gelato and sorbet company.