Grüß Gott
hello (formal-ish Southern German/Austrian greeting)
Origin
A Southern German-Austrian greeting, shortened from '(may) God greet you' in the original sense 'may God bless you' (from Middle High German 'grüezen' = to greet, bless, turn toward). Regional variants include Bavarian 'grüaß Gott' and Swabian 'griaß Gott'. It sounds polite and traditional; in everyday use the literal religious meaning is barely felt anymore.
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Subjunctive I in fixed expressions and the optativeKonjunktiv I in Wendungen und Optativ
Examples
Grüß , was es sein?
Hello, what can I get you?