Aloha in the Hawaiian language means affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. Since the middle of the 19th century, it also has come to be used as an English greeting to say goodbye and hello. Currently, it is mostly used in the sense of hello; however, it is used as the above. It is also the state nickname of Hawaii, the "Aloha State".

The word aloha derives from the Proto-Polynesian root *qalofa. It has cognates in other Polynesian languages, such as the Māori word aroha, also meaning "love." (source Wikipedia)