goodbye

good·bye or good-bye also good-by  (gd-b)

interj.

Used to express an acknowledgment of parting.

n. pl. good·byes or good-byes also good-bys

1. An acknowledgment at parting, especially by saying "goodbye."

2. An act of parting or leave-taking: many sad goodbyes.

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[Alteration (influenced by good day) of God be with you.]

Word History: No doubt more than one reader has wondered exactly how goodbye is derived from the phrase "God be with you." To understand this, it is helpful to see earlier forms of the expression, such as God be wy you, god b'w'y, godbwye, god buy' ye, and good-b'wy. The first word of the expression is now good and not God, for good replaced God by analogy with such expressions as good day, perhaps after people no longer had a clear idea of the original sense of the expression. A letter of 1573 written by Gabriel Harvey contains the first recorded use of goodbye: "To requite your gallonde [gallon] of godbwyes, I regive you a pottle of howdyes," recalling another contraction that is still used.

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goodbye

interj

an expression used on parting

Noun

the act of saying goodbye: he said his goodbyes [from God be with ye]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

goodbye - a farewell remark; "they said their good-byes" bye-bye, cheerio, good day, good-by, good-bye, goodby, sayonara, so long, adieu, adios, arrivederci, au revoir, auf wiedersehen, bye farewell, word of farewell - an acknowledgment or expression of goodwill at parting

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goodbye

noun 1. farewell, parting, leave-taking

interjection 2. farewell, see you, see you later, ciao (Italian) cheerio, adieu, ta-ta, au revoir (French) auf Wiedersehen (German) adios (Spanish) haere ra N.Z.

Translations

goodbye [gudˈbaɪ] excl → ¡adiós!;

to say goodbye (to) [+ person] → despedirse (de)

goodbye [gudˈbaɪ] good excl → au revoir!;

to say goodbye to sb → dire au revoir à qn

goodbye [gudˈbaɪ] good excl → auf Wiedersehen!;

to say goodbye good → sich verabschieden

goodbye [gudˈbaɪ] excl → arrivederci!;

to say goodbye to [+ person] → salutare