ave

¹ American

[ah-vey, ey-vee] / ˈɑ veɪ, ˈeɪ vi /

interjection

hail; welcome.
farewell; goodbye.

noun

the salutation “ave.”
(initial capital letter) Ave Maria.

Ave. ² American

Or ave.

abbreviation

avenue.

Ave ¹ British

/ ˈɑːvɪ /

noun

short for Ave Maria See Hail Mary
the time for the Angelus to be recited, so called because of the threefold repetition of the Ave Maria in this devotion
the beads of the rosary used to count the number of Ave Marias said

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Ave ² British

abbreviation

avenue

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ave ³ British

/ ˈɑːvɪ, ˈɑːveɪ /

welcome or farewell

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ave

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Latin: 2nd-person singular imperative of avēre “to be well, fare well”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

After its inauguration in 1992, Spain's high-speed rail, or AVE, network was seen as a symbol of the country's modernisation.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

And despite the lack of BMP signalling from the extra-embryonic tissue, an AVE cell population was able to form from the VE cells -- the starting point for the development of the first body axis.

From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2024

So we took solace in what we had left, which was our success in sports, and the Spanish brand, of which the AVE is the leading representative.

From Time • Jul. 29, 2013

On Saturday the head of the Galician regional government, of which Santiago is the capital, said the accident was being used as an excuse to criticize AVE capabilities.

From Reuters • Jul. 28, 2013

AVE occurs in Ovid only here and at RA 639-40 'nec ueniat seruus, nec flens ancillula fictum / suppliciter dominae nomine dicat "aue!"

From The Last Poems of Ovid by Akrigg, Mark Bear

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023