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ODE→hail (2)

hail (2)

Flag: gbEnglishOxford Dictionary of English
hail2 /heɪl /
▸ verb
1 [with object] call out to (someone) to attract attention:
I hailed her in English.
▪ signal (an approaching taxi) to stop:
she raised her hand to hail a cab.
2 [with object] praise (someone or something) enthusiastically:
he has been hailed as the new James Dean.
3 (hail from) [no object] have one's home or origins in (a place):
they hail from Turkey.
▸ exclamation archaic expressing greeting or acclaim:
hail, Caesar!.
▸ noun a shout or call used to attract attention.
– PHRASES
within hail dated
at a distance within which someone may be called to; within earshot:
the line keeps within hail of the River Dee.
– DERIVATIVES
hailer noun
– ORIGIN Middle English: from the obsolete adjective hail ‘healthy’ (occurring in greetings and toasts, such as wæs hæil: see wassail), from Old Norse heill, related to hale1 and whole.