Does anyone have sources?
Merriam-Webster:
Main Entry: hel·lo
Pronunciation: h&-'lO, he-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural hellos
Etymology: alteration of hollo
Date: 1889
: an expression or gesture of greeting -- used interjectionally in greeting, in answering the telephone, or to express surprise
and
Main Entry: hol·lo
Pronunciation: hä-'lO, h&-; 'hä-(")
Variant(s): also hol·loa /hä-'lO, h&-/; or hol·la /h&-'lä, 'hä-(")/
Function: interjection
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: 1588
1 -- used to attract attention (as when a fox is spied during a fox hunt)
2 -- used as a call of encouragement or jubilation
I think the latter derives from "holler".
Mind you, no telephone reference. And it begs the question, where did Bell get the word from if he did invent it? "Ahoy" is clear enough, but why change the first vowel in "hollo"?
Incidentally, I'd forgotten that Wendy was an invented name.
Certainly popular enough since, at least in England.
