Goodbye Is a Worn-Down Blessing
Goodbye is what English says when parting. It is a compressed form of God be with ye, reshaped by good day and good night.
Goodbye is the standard English farewell. It began as *God be with ye*, contracted over centuries into *godbwye* and then into the modern form, with the *good* borrowed from *good day* and *good night*. A blessing was worn down into a word.
- A farewell. *She said goodbye at the door.*
- The act of parting. *A tearful goodbye.*
- To say goodbye to — to give up. *Say goodbye to your weekend.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Interjection | goodbye | Goodbye for now. |
| Noun | goodbye | A long goodbye. |
| Plural | goodbyes | Saying our goodbyes. |
| Informal | bye | Bye, then. |
| Related | farewell | A farewell party. |
How it is used in a sentence
- We said our goodbyes at the station.Plural for a round of farewells.
- You can say goodbye to that deposit.Meaning it is gone.
- Goodbye is harder than hello.Used as a noun with no article.
Farewells and their origins
- Goodbye — God be with ye
- Farewell — fare well, travel safely
- Adieu — à Dieu, to God, in French
- Cheerio — British and informal, from the early twentieth century
- So long — American and informal, of uncertain origin
First recorded as *godbwye* in a letter of 1573. The vowel changed under the influence of the other polite greetings, which is how a blessing acquired a *good*.
Goodbye or good-bye?
One word is now standard. The hyphen appears in older books and in some American style guides.
Is farewell more formal?
Yes, and it also carries finality. A farewell party marks a departure that is not expected to be reversed soon.