Editing Greeting (section)

{{short description|Expression to acknowledge another person}}
{{About|the social act|other uses|Greeting (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Good evening|the Marshall Crenshaw album|Good Evening (album)|the song by John Reuben|John Reuben}}
[[File:Welcome differentlangs.svg|thumb|Translations of the word ''[[welcome]]'' shown in many places frequented by foreigners or tourists to welcome people of all different nationalities.]]

'''Greeting''' is an act of [[communication]] in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or [[social status]] (formal or informal) between individuals or groups of people coming in contact with each other. Greetings are sometimes used just prior to a [[conversation]] or to greet in passing, such as on a sidewalk or trail. While greeting [[tradition|custom]]s are highly [[culture]]- and situation-specific and may change within a culture depending on social status and relationship, they exist in all known human cultures. Greetings can be expressed both audibly and physically, and often involve a combination of the two. This topic excludes military and ceremonial [[salute]]s but includes rituals other than [[gesture]]s. A greeting, or [[salutation]], can also be expressed in written communications, such as letters and emails.

Some epochs and cultures have had very elaborate greeting rituals, e.g. greeting a sovereign.  Conversely, [[Secret society|secret societies]] have often furtive or arcane greeting gestures and rituals, such as a [[secret handshake]], which allows members to recognize each other.

In some languages and cultures, the word or gesture is used as both greeting and [[parting tradition|farewell]].