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Hello vs Can - What's the difference?

hello | can |

As nouns the difference between hello and can

is that hello is "!" or an equivalent greeting while can is song.

As verbs the difference between hello and can

is that hello is to greet with "hello" while can is (lb).

As an interjection hello

is .

hello

English

Alternative forms

* hallo * hilloa (obsolete) * hullo (UK)

Interjection

(en interjection)
  • * , chapter=7
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!'” at the top of my lungs.
  • (colloquial)
  • Usage notes

    * The greeting hello is among the most generic and neutral in use. It may be heard in nearly all social situations and in nearly all walks of life, and is unlikely to cause offense.

    Synonyms

    * (greeting) ** g'day, hey, hi, ** hallo, hi, hiya, ey up ** hallo, hey, hi, howdy ** how's it going, hey, hi ** howzit ** (slang) wassup, what's up, yo, sup * See also

    Antonyms

    * (greeting) bye, goodbye

    Derived terms

    *

    See also

    * * (wikipedia "hello")

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • "!" or an equivalent greeting.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2007, date=April 29, author=Stephanie Rosenbloom, title=A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, work=New York Times citation
  • , passage=In many new buildings, though, neighbors are venturing beyond tight-lipped hellos at the mailbox.}}

    Synonyms

    * greeting

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To greet with "hello".
  • * 2013 , Ivan Doig, English Creek (page 139)
  • I had to traipse around somewhat, helloing' people and being ' helloed , before I spotted my mother and my father, sharing shade and a spread blanket with Pete and Marie Reese and Toussaint Rennie near the back of the park.
    English phrasebook 1000 English basic words

    can

    English

    (wikipedia can)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) (m) (first and third person singular of , Danish (m). More at canny, cunning.

    Verb

  • To know how to; to be able to.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author= Lee S. Langston, magazine=(American Scientist)
  • , title= The Adaptable Gas Turbine , passage=Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo'', meaning ''vortex , and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.}}
  • May; to be permitted or enabled to.
  • To be possible, usually with be .
  • * {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers)
  • , chapter=5, title= A Cuckoo in the Nest , passage=The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite.
  • To know.
  • * ca.1360-1387 , (William Langland), (Piers Plowman)
  • I can rimes of Robin Hood.
  • * ca.1360-1387 , (William Langland), (Piers Plowman)
  • I can no Latin, quod she.
  • * (William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • Let the priest in surplice white, / That defunctive music can .
    Usage notes
    * For missing forms, substitute inflected forms of be able to , as: ** I might be able to go. ** I was able to go yesterday. ** I have been able to go, since I was seven. ** I had been able to go before. ** I will be able to go tomorrow. * The word could also suffices in many tenses. "I would be able to go" is equivalent to "I could go", and "I was unable to go" can be rendered "I could not go". (Unless there is a clear indication otherwise, "could verb''" means "would be able to ''verb''", but "could not ''verb''" means "was/were unable to ''verb ".) * The present tense negative can not'' is often contracted to ''cannot'' or ''can't . * The use of can'' in asking permission sometimes is criticized as being impolite or incorrect by those who favour the more formal alternative ''"may I...?" . * Can'' is sometimes used rhetorically to issue a command, placing the command in the form of a request. For instance, ''"Can you hand me that pen?"'' as a polite substitution for ''"Hand me that pen." * Some US dialects that glottalize the final /t/ in can't'' ( even when stressed.
    Synonyms
    * be able to * may
    Antonyms
    * cannot * can’t
    See also
    *

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) canne, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A more or less cylindrical vessel for liquids, usually of steel or aluminium.
  • A container used to carry and dispense water for plants (a watering can ).
  • A tin-plate canister, often cylindrical, for preserved foods such as fruit, meat, or fish.
  • (US, slang) toilet, bathroom.
  • (US, slang) buttocks.
  • (slang) jail or prison.
  • (slang) headphones.
  • (obsolete) A drinking cup.
  • (Shakespeare)
  • * Tennyson
  • Fill the cup and fill the can , / Have a rouse before the morn.
    Synonyms
    * (cylindrical metal container) tin
    Derived terms
    * beer can * can opener * carry the can * garbage can * kick at the can * kick the can / kick-the-can * kick the can down the road * trash can

    Verb

    (cann)
  • To preserve, by heating and sealing in a can or jar.
  • They spent August canning fruit and vegetables.
  • to discard, scrap or terminate (an idea, project, etc.).
  • He canned the whole project because he thought it would fail.
  • To shut up.
  • Can your gob.
  • (US, euphemistic) To fire or dismiss an employee.
  • The boss canned him for speaking out.

    Statistics

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