What does "Howdy" mean? Is it a dialect?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
Howdy was an expression of greeting that surprisingly originated in the 16th century in England, from the expression “how do ye?” It became commonly used in the United States during the last century and has become so popular that it is used everywhere and thus can no longer be considered to be part of a specific dialect. Many use it as a shortened version of “how ya/you doing.” Ex: Howdy, folks. Ex: Howdy! I haven’t see you in a while!