Where does “alô” come from?

alô (Portuguese) comes from French allô, from English hallo, from Middle English halou, from Old English hēla, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō — heel.

alô (Portuguese): hello; the act of greeting informally

Definitions

  1. hello; the act of greeting informally

Ancestry of “alô”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchallôhello; used to confirm that the person being...
2EnglishhalloAlternative form of hello; A cry of surprise; The...
3Middle Englishhalou—
4Old Englishhēlaheel
5Proto-West Germanic*hą̄hilōheel
Every word from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō →Every word from Old English hēla →Every word from Middle English halou →