Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • interjection neologism, rare hello

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From hello, substituting heaven for the letters "hell". Coined by Leonso Canales Jr., who lobbied to have it designated the "official greeting" of Kleberg County, Texas, USA in January 1997.

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Examples

  • In 1997, commissioners of Kleberg County, Texas, voted for heaveno to become the county’s official term of greeting.

    The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010

  • In 1997, commissioners of Kleberg County, Texas, voted for heaveno to become the county’s official term of greeting.

    The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010

Comments

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  • Heard on TV a long time ago. Some fruitcake decided ‘hello’ was bad because it had hell in it.

    February 28, 2009

  • "In 1997, Leonso Canales Jr. from Kingsville, Texas convinced Kleberg County commissioners to designate "heaven-o" as the county's official greeting, on the grounds that the greeting "hello" contains the word "hell", and that the proposed alternative sounds more "positive". "Hello", however, is not etymologically related to "hell"."

    - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello

    September 3, 2009

  • Still, I'm reminded of "Bean-o" - those supermarket pills that are supposed to diminish flatulence in those folks prone to or overly embarrassed by such emanations....

    September 3, 2009

  • I use Beano all the time. It isn't that I'm especially prone to gas or overly embarassed by it. It's that I don't want to sit around farting at work or in polite company, and constantly excusing myself to go to the little bears' room is a pain in the—pardon me—ass.

    Gas—unless one is training to burp or fart the alphabet song—is generally annoying.

    I'm not sure about Heaveno though.... Would it keep one from having to attend church regularly? If so, do they sell it in pharmacies, or where?

    September 3, 2009

  • Totally remember this from a Kids In The Hall episode where a flirty businessman (played by Bruce McCullah) introduces himself to a business partner's wife at a company party with, "Heaveno. ...With you, 'hello' just wouldn't be right".

    He proceeds to hit on her with equally witty distortions of grammar, as I recall.

    September 3, 2009

  • I've never seen Beano in Australia. I wonder what our equivalent is.

    September 3, 2009

  • Good question. Here's what it looks like in the U.S., anyhow. In addition to the tablets you can swallow with your food, they make a kind you can add to the cooking pot when making, for example, dried beans.

    (I like that we're sullying the concept of changing "hello" to "heaveno" by talking about farts. Tee hee...)

    September 3, 2009

  • I really hope it's called something like Fartblaster. Or Hurlwind. Or Vale, The Tempest.

    September 3, 2009

  • It's just good old-fashioned Bilbyo.

    September 4, 2009

  • heaveno (hecko) to all Wordies today!

    September 4, 2009