greets

Greets is the third-person singular present tense of the verb greet. To greet means to address someone with a friendly or polite expression or gesture upon meeting. The base form greet has related forms such as greeted for the past tense and past participle, and greeting as a noun or present participle.

Etymology and usage context: The verb greet derives from early Germanic origins and has cognates in several Germanic languages, reflecting a long-standing social function of acknowledging others. In modern English, greets is used when the subject is he, she, or it, as in "The host greets every guest at the door." It can be followed by direct objects or prepositional phrases, such as "greets him with a smile" or "greets visitors with a handshake." In compound forms, it appears in expressions like "greets with" and in related nouns such as greeting, greetings, and greeter.

Cultural and communicative notes: Greetings vary widely by culture and context, ranging from verbal salutations to facial expressions, handshakes, bows, or other gestures. In writing, greetings refer to the opening line of a letter or email, such as "Dear..." or "Greetings." The choice of greeting can reflect formality, relationship, and social norms.

See also: greet, greeting, greetings, greeter, salutations.