ciao

Where does the word "ciao" come from? It comes from Venetian Italian s-ciavo, passing through Italian before entering English (1929).

Ciao’s story begins in Venetian Italian: s-ciavo meant “I am your servant.” Literally your slave, a humble greeting offering oneself in service. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in Italian as ciao. Worn down into a casual greeting used both for hello and goodbye. It reached English by 1929 as ciao. From Venetian 's-ciavo', your slave, a polite greeting like 'at your service'. Today, ciao means an informal greeting or farewell, used both for hello and goodbye.

1. Stage 1 · Venetian Italian · medieval s-ciavo "I am your servant", literally your slave, a humble greeting offering oneself in service.
2. Stage 2 · Italian · 1700s ciao "an informal greeting or farewell", worn down into a casual greeting used both for hello and goodbye.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1929 ciao "an informal greeting or farewell", from Venetian 's-ciavo', your slave, a polite greeting like 'at your service'.