salutation

Everyday

1. (formal) A salutation is a greeting, a word or action that says hello, such as "Good morning" or a wave. tree →
2. In a letter or email, the salutation is the greeting at the start, like "Dear Sam,". tree →
3. (formal) "Salutations!" can be said as a jokey, old-fashioned "hello". tree →

In the lessons

In English lessons on letter writing, pupils learn the parts of a letter: address, date, salutation ("Dear Sir or Madam"), body, and sign-off ("Yours faithfully"). In stories, knights and courtiers bow in salutation. In Charlotte's Web, the spider Charlotte greets Wilbur with "Salutations!".

Examples

• Start your letter with a salutation such as "Dear Aunt Jo,". tree →
• He raised his hat in salutation. tree →
• "Salutations!" said Charlotte the spider to Wilbur. tree →
• The salutation in a formal letter is often "Dear Sir or Madam". tree →
• Underline the salutation in this letter. tree →
• A wave is a friendly salutation. tree →
• The knights bowed to the king in salutation. tree →
• “Peace be upon you,” said the king, giving the usual country salutation. tree →

Note

Countable: salutations. Formal word; in daily talk say "greeting". In a letter, if the salutation is "Dear Sir or Madam", the sign-off is "Yours faithfully" (UK); if a name, "Yours sincerely". Related: salute.