greetings
greetings — noun
1. the words, a movement of the hand or head, or a physical action such as a handsh
the words, a movement of the hand or head, or a physical action such as a handshake that a person uses when they first see someone
Yuki gave each of her new classmates a friendly greeting as they walked into the room.
give + [someone] + a + greeting
Dr. Okafor's morning greeting always made the children in the waiting area smile.
Priya raised her hand in greeting but did not stop to talk.
Aunt Rosa's traditional greeting was a kiss on each cheek and a tight hug.
Theo and his neighbour exchanged quick greetings before the morning train arrived.
- salutation
much more formal; mostly found in writing or very official settings
- hello
the spoken word itself, not the whole act or gesture of greeting
- welcome
specifically the act of receiving someone who has arrived, not a casual passing hello
- farewell
the act of saying goodbye when leaving, rather than hello when meeting
用法筆記
Can be used in the singular (a greeting) for one act of saying hello, or the plural (greetings) when describing the mutual exchange between two or more people.
2. friendly words or messages that people send to let others know they are thinking
friendly words or messages that people send to let others know they are thinking of them, especially on a celebration day or when they are far apart
The Watanabe family sent warm greetings from their holiday cottage beside the lake.
send greetings from [place]
Grandfather Chen asked me to pass on his greetings to everyone at the shop.
Fatima wrote a short letter full of birthday greetings for her old school friend.
Linnea received greetings from colleagues she had not worked with in over ten years.
Ines closed her message with greetings to the whole committee and their families.
- regards
slightly more formal; very common in letter closings like 'kind regards'
- best wishes
warmer and more personal; often used for life events like weddings or new jobs
- compliments
very formal and old-fashioned; now rare outside phrases like 'compliments of the season'
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural form. The singular 'greeting' is not used for messages of goodwill — you say 'send my greetings,' not 'send my greeting.'