yo

Meaning

Intj

1. (slang) A greeting similar to hi.
2. (slang) An interjection similar to hey.
3. (slang) An expression of surprise or excitement.
4. (slang) Present! Here!
5. Emphatic conclusion to a statement.

Det

Pronunciation spelling of your.

Pron

Generic third-person singular pronoun (primarily used in place of he and she).

Noun

1. (abbreviation, alt-of) Abbreviation of year(s) old; also y.o., y/o.
2. (abbreviation, alt-of, initialism) Initialism of yarn over.

Noun

The name of the letter Ё/ё in Cyrillic alphabets.

Num

Clipping of yoleven.

Noun

Obsolete form of yue, a traditional Chinese unit of volume.

Noun

1. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative form of YO
2. (abbreviation, alt-of) Alternative form of YO:

Verb

1. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative form of YO
2. (abbreviation, alt-of) Alternative form of YO:

Synonyms

hey

👋

hi

👋

Hi

yes sir

oi

yoe

Translations

salut

👋

Pronounced as (IPA)

/jəʊ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: yo, io, ȝo, yeo, yaw

Inherited from Old English: ġēa

Inherited from Old English: ēow

Cognate with Danish: -

Cognate with Swedish: -

Cognate with German: -

Cognate with Norwegian: jo

Cognate with Dutch: jow

Cognate with Dutch: jo

In summary

As a greeting first attested in 1859, attested first as a cry of sailors and huntsmen (first attested in the 1400s; compare e.g. huzzah, giddyup). Originally from Middle English yo, io, ȝo, yeo, yaw, variant forms of ya, ye (“yes, yea”), from Old English ġēa (“yes, yea”), from Proto-Germanic *ja (“yes, thus, so”); or perhaps from Old English ēow (“Wo!, Alas!”, interjection). Compare Danish, Swedish, German, Norwegian jo (“yes (flexible meaning)”), Dutch jow (“hi, hey”) and Dutch jo (“hi, hey”). More at yea, ow, ew.
Modern popularity apparently dates from the early 20th century in Philadelphia, PA; amongst the Italian Community there, where io, with (as opposed to in standard Italian language) the stress on the ultima, was a common salutatory response among residents, particularly young males. This usage was apparently reinforced by the aforesaid English terms. It has been claimed to have been a common response at roll calls during World War 2 (see definition 4), and then most intensely attested in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; it thence spread globally from American dominance of pop culture post-WWII.