Mahlzeit () is a German
salutation
A salutation is a greeting used in a Letter (message), letter or other communication. Salutations can be formal or informal. The most common form of salutation in an English letter includes the recipient's given name or title. For each style of ...
. It is the short form of a more formal salutation, "Gesegnete Mahlzeit" (archaic term,
de: ''Blessed mealtime'').
[
] The salutation is commonly used without connection to food or eating in Northern Germany, and this usage, corresponding to something like "hello, everyone" or "I'm off, folks", is becoming more and more widespread in informal settings, such as between office co-workers. In
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
it is used as a salutation during meal times
[
] and can also be used before drinking Sturm (
Federweisser
Federweisser (also Federweißer) is an alcoholic beverage commonly made in continental Europe. It is the product of fermented freshly pressed grape juice, known as must. The term ''Federweisser'' in principle includes all stages of fermentat ...
) as reference to the meal-like quality of the fermenting grape juice. Similarly, in most German regions it is only used in connection with meals. However,
soldiers
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word ...
typically greet each other with ''Mahlzeit'' (and the reply ''Mahlzeit'', not ''danke'') from getting up in the morning until about 8 pm, including the entire normal work day, presumably as the next mealtime is always within short distance and is looked forward to.
Mahlzeit can also be used in a negative sense.
[
] For example, when two people see something that might well spoil their appetite, one may sarcastically say "Mahlzeit" (or the stronger, "Na, Mahlzeit!") to the other.
When greeted with "Mahlzeit", one would ordinarily reply with "Mahlzeit" in return, or simply with "Danke", the German term for "thank you".
References
{{Reflist
Greeting words and phrases
German words and phrases
de:Mahlzeit#„Mahlzeit“ als Gruß