English word origin

Etymology of ahoy

From a- + hoy (a nautical call used in hauling), from Middle English hoy (interjection), a greeting dating back to the fourteenth century. Compare Dutch hoi (“hi!, hello!”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

intj

Used to hail a ship, a boat or a person, or to attract attention. · Warning of something approaching or impending.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From a- + hoy (a nautical call used in hauling), from Middle English hoy (interjection), a greeting dating back to the fourteenth century. Compare Dutch hoi (“hi!, hello!”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Word-formation componenta-en
Word-formation componenthoyen
Derivation mentionhoyenm
Cognate mentionhoinl · hi!, hello!

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "a-",
        "3": "hoy",
        "pos2": "a nautical call used in hauling"
      },
      "expansion": "a- + hoy (a nautical call used in hauling)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "hoy",
        "pos": "interjection"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English hoy (interjection)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "hoi",
        "t": "hi!, hello!"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch hoi (“hi!, hello!”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#English"
    ],
    [
      "hoy",
      "hoy#English"
    ],
    [
      "hoy",
      "hoy#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hoi",
      "hoi#Dutch"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Czech",
      "lang_code": "cs",
      "word": "ahoj",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Danish",
      "lang_code": "da",
      "word": "ohøj",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "word": "ahoi",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "word": "ahoi",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "lang_code": "nb",
      "word": "ohoi",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "lang_code": "nb",
      "word": "åhoi",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Slovak",
      "lang_code": "sk",
      "word": "ahoj",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "Used to hail a ship, a boat or a person, or to attract attention.",
        "Warning of something approaching or impending."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "humorous"
      ],
      "recordId": "f89463d12e4e4c2d6b7589d55a13a38412203fe8cbc8fdf7acb08087383e2bfa",
      "rawRecordSha256": "17d4d9af3fe8746bac8d392395b1352774a4043406786fb70845246f4c84ccf4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 270294
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

An utterance of this interjection.

verb

To hail with a cry of "ahoy".

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From a- + hoy (a nautical call used in hauling), from Middle English hoy (interjection), a greeting dating back to the fourteenth century. Compare Dutch hoi (“hi!, hello!”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Word-formation componenta-en
Word-formation componenthoyen
Derivation mentionhoyenm
Cognate mentionhoinl · hi!, hello!

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "a-",
        "3": "hoy",
        "pos2": "a nautical call used in hauling"
      },
      "expansion": "a- + hoy (a nautical call used in hauling)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "hoy",
        "pos": "interjection"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English hoy (interjection)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "hoi",
        "t": "hi!, hello!"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch hoi (“hi!, hello!”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#English"
    ],
    [
      "hoy",
      "hoy#English"
    ],
    [
      "hoy",
      "hoy#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hoi",
      "hoi#Dutch"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An utterance of this interjection."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "059d482dd81573c21f017bcfbf4bf6f23c981f7f17f20e01819ef04b5d45825f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c0f14b4defeb30beebe957c239d624b119ecc3ae9f952988c7e81a35d338d73a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 270296
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To hail with a cry of \"ahoy\"."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "451987e6f92aff34d91f924da8b9ef7c2392f6948b3ce92337870b3a41221f71",
      "rawRecordSha256": "cd7674acb7400ef3c89823b2879128b8c71c316efcf73e7d3800306ee3dc22fb",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 270295
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ahoy →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YWhveQ