Etymology Dictionary

HAIL (1),  frozen rain.  (E.)   M. E. haȝel, Layamon, 11975; spelt hawel in the later text.   Later hayl, hail (y = i for ȝ) Chaucer, Good Women, Cleop. 76.—A. S. hagal, hagol; Grein. + Icel. hagl. + Du., Dan., Swed. hagel. + G. hagel.   Allied to Gk. κάχλαξ, κόχλαξ, a round pebble; so that hail-stone is tautological.   Der. hail, verb. M. E. hailen, Prompt. Parv.; also hail-stone, M. E. hailstoon, Wyclif, Wisdom, v. 23 (later text).

HAIL (2),  to greet, call to, address.  (Scand.)   M. E. heilen.   'Heylyn, or gretyn, saluto;' Prompt. Parv.   Spelt heȝȝlenn (for heȝlen), Ormulum, 2814.   A verb formed from Icel. heill, hale, sound, in good health, which was particularly used in greeting, as in kom heill, welcome, hail! far heill, farewell!   β. The usual Icel. verb is heilsa, to say hail to one, to greet one, whence M. E. hailsen, to greet.   In P. Plowman, B. v. 101, we have:  'I hailse hym hendeliche, as I his frende were' = I greet him readily, as if I were his friend; and, in this very passage, the Bodley MS. reads:  'I haile him.'   Cf. Swed. hel, hale, helsa, health, helsa, to salute, greet; Dan. heel, hale, hilse, to salute, greet.   See Hale (1), and Whole.

HAIL! (3),  an exclamation of greeting.  (Scand.)   'All hail, great master! grave sir, hail, I come!' Temp. i. 2. 189.   'Hayl be þow, mary' = Lat. aue Maria; Myrc's Instructions for Parish Priests, ed. Peacock, l. 422.—Icel. heill, hale, whole; but esp. used in greeting.   See Hail (2), and Hale.   ➩ Similar is the use of A. S. wes hál, lit. be whole, may you be in good health; but the A. S. hál produced the E. whole, as distinct from Scand. hale.   See Wassail.