greeting

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A conventional phrase used to start a letter or conversation or otherwise to acknowledge a person's arrival or presence.

   It's polite to begin a letter with a greeting, but this practice is less common in email.

2. 2
   noun

   The action of the verb to greet.

   I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town.

3. 3
   noun

   (usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)

4. 4
   verb

   present participle and gerund of greet

Etymology

By surface analysis, greet + -ing.