Verb (third-person singular simple present greets, present participle greeting, simple past and past participle greeted)
- To address with salutations or expressions of kind wishes; to salute; to hail; to welcome; to accost with friendship; to pay respects or compliments to, either personally or through the intervention of another, or by writing or token.
- To come upon, or meet, as with something that makes the heart glad.
- To accost; to address.
- (intransitive) To meet and give salutations.
- To be perceived by (somebody).
- A brilliant dawn greeted her as she looked out the window.
Origin Old English grētan, from Proto-Germanic *grōtijaną. Cognate with Dutch groeten, German grüßen. Compare Old Saxon grotian, Old Frisian greta, Old High German gruozen.
Adjective (comparative more greet, superlative most greet)
- (obsolete except Scotland) Great.
Origin From Middle English greet, grete (“great”).
Verb (third-person singular simple present greets, present participle greeting, simple past and past participle greeted or grat)
- (Scotland, Northern England) To weep; to cry.
Noun (uncountable)
- (obsolete) Mourning, weeping, lamentation.
Origin From a blend of two Old English verbs, grētan (cognate with Swedish gräta', Danish græde) and grēotan (of uncertain ultimate origin), both ‘weep, lament’.
