Meaning
A greeting — 'hello', 'how do you do'. Worn down from 'how d'ye do', it is the old-time courteous greeting, still heard especially from and toward elders, and to 'howdy' someone is to greet them. It lives on in the proverb 'howdy an tenky bruk nuh square' — greetings and thanks break no squares, that is, courtesy costs nothing and does no harm. A little old-fashioned now, 'howdy' belongs to the world of good country manners, the polite hail exchanged in passing on the road or at the gate.
Examples
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Howdy, Miss Ivy, how di family?
Hello, Miss Ivy, how's the family?
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Always say howdy to yuh elders.
Always greet your elders.
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Howdy an tenky bruk nuh square.
Greetings and thanks cost nothing.
Origin
A worn-down form of 'how do you do' → 'how-de-do' → 'howdy'; a courteous old-time greeting.
How it’s used
A polite greeting, esp. with elders; also 'howdeedo'. See the proverb [[howdy-an-tenky-bruk-nuh-square]].