The word ciao (pronounced "chaow" /tʃao/) is an informal Italian verbal salutation or greeting, meaning either "goodbye" or "hello". Originally from the Venetian language, it was adopted by Italian and eventually entered the vocabulary of English and of many other languages around the world. In the Spanish-speaking world, it is spelled "chao". The word is mostly used as "goodbye" in Spanish and English, but in modern Italian and in other languages it may mean "hello", "goodbye", or both.

Etymology

The word derives from the Venetian phrase s-ciào vostro or s-ciào su literally meaning "I am your slave". This greeting is analogous to the Latin Servus which is still used in a large section of Central/Eastern Europe. The expression was not a literal statement of fact, of course, but rather a perfunctory promise of good will among friends (along the lines "if you ever need my help, count on me").

The Venetian word for "slave", s-ciào 1 or s-ciàvo, is cognate of Italian schiavo and derives from Latin sclavus. The institution of slavery existed in Venice during the very Early Middle Ages when the slaves were usually young Tartars bought in Tana (near Azov) or, more rarely, Muslims captured on the sea during wars. In the High Middle Ages the slaves could also be non-Catholic Christians from the Balkans, such as Slavs and GreeksFact: date=February 2008. In Venice there were also few slaves that came from Black Africa (as depicted, eg., by Vittore Carpaccio). The status of slaves in Medieval Venice was not very different from that of servants, and they were often freed in testamentsFact: date=February 2008.

The greeting expression was eventually shortened to ciào 2, lost all its servile connotations and came to be used as an informal salutation by speakers of all classes. The word s-ciào is still used in Venetian and in Lombardian as an exclamation of resignation, as in Oh, va be', s-ciào ("Oh, well, never mind!"). A Milanese proverb/tongue-twister says Se gh'inn gh'inn, se gh'inn no s-ciào ("If there is 3, there is; if there isn't, no problem").

Spread

The Venetian ciào was adopted by the Italian language, with the spelling ciao, presumably during the golden days of the Venetian Republic. It has since spread to many countries in Europe, along with other items of the Italian culture. In the late 19th and early 20th century, the salute spread to the Americas—especially Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, and Argentina—largely by way of Italian immigrants.

Ernest Hemingway's novel A Farewell to Arms (1929), which is set in northeast Italy during World War I, is credited with bringing the word into the English language The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition (2000) ciao Today it is not uncommon for native/adopted speakers of the English language to use "ciao" instead of "goodbye" in informal talk.