Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- interj. Used to express farewell.
- n. A farewell.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Literally, to God, an ellipsis for I commend you to God: an expression of kind wishes at the parting of friends, equivalent to farewell; hence, a parting salutation in general: as, adieu to my hopes.
- Synonyms Adieu, Farewell, Good-by. These words have completely lost their original meanings. In use the difference between them is only one of formality, good-by being the most common, and adieu the most formal. By the Society of Friends (and perhaps some other sects) farewell is preferred, as not involving the careless mention of the name of God. In strict propriety, farewell is a parting salutation to persons going away.
- n. adieus or (in French spelling) adieux (a-dū z′ , ȧ-dyė′ ). A farewell or commendation to the care of God: as, an everlasting adieu; to make one's adieus.
Wiktionary
- interj. Said to wish a fond farewell; good-bye.
- n. A farewell, a goodbye; especially a fond farewell, or a lasting or permanent farewell.
GNU Webster's 1913
- interj. Good-by; farewell; an expression of kind wishes at parting.
- n. A farewell; commendation to the care of God at parting.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a farewell remark
Etymologies
- From Middle English adieu also adew, adewe, adue, from Old French adieu ("to God"), a shortening of a Dieu vous comant ("I commend you to God"), from Latin ad ("to") + deus ("God") (Wiktionary)
- Middle English, from Old French a dieu, (I commend you) to God : a, to (from Latin ad; see ad-) + Dieu, God (from Latin deus. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Perhaps it would be best to call it adieu, fest up and join his great grandchildren, as he openly admits, someone closer to him has fervently suggested.”
“Perhaps when you have read my history, the dreadful word adieu --”
“In the evening the enthusiasts bade an adieu, which is likely to be an eternal one, to their hosts, and returned to St. Petersburg, sadder, but wiser by the loss of an illusion.”
“Alas! the adieu was a final one, for I never saw him afterwards; and within three short weeks of my marriage, I was a widow again!”
“There are even some liberals who argue that Quebec should be allowed to say "adieu" to the Canadian Confederation.”
The Huffington Post: Ken Blackwell: After the Flotilla Raid, Progressives Show Their True Colors
“I must bid "adieu" although I am an atheist, go figure! to you, mon ami.”
“whole pack in full cry" of the Roman children running by the side and calling adieu to dear Tante Lise.”
Social life in old New Orleans : being recollections of my girlhood,
“Upon arriving in Georgia she was led to enjoy the contrast between the snow-clad hills of New England, to which she had bidden "adieu" a few days previous, and the mild atmosphere of a hitherto untried latitude.”
“If it is a clear, cold night, the clicking of their wooden shoes may be heard for some time; but if it is damp weather, the sound is stifled, and after a few moments the faint echo of an "adieu" or Christmas greeting is all that can be heard around the church as the beadle closes it.”
In the Yule-Log Glow, Book II Christmas Tales from 'Round the World
“Surreptitiously wiping my eyes and swallowing the sobs in my throat, I held out the baby to its mother and began to say a halting "adieu" to all of them.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘adieu’.
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the best words in french
it doesn't matter if you can speak french or not to add the word. you can add it for the way it sounds or what it means. it can only be one word. if you add it for what it means, comment on the lis...
pamplemousse, adieu, au revoir, visage, thé, louche, odalisque, perdu, absintheur, glibette, hibou, pommadeur and 9 more...
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Tricky Words from French
Loanwords from French -- both established and wet behind the ears -- that are tricky to spell or pronounce properly.
trompe l'oeil, hors d'oeuvre, oeuvre, objet d'art, objet trouvé, contretemps, milieu, métier, mise en scène, mise en place, éclat, faineant and 64 more...
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Franco
fin-de-siècle, sang-froid, minatory, loup, son et lumière, bonhomie, l'heure bleue, frippery, pamplemousse, adieu, au revoir, visage and 22 more...
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Loan words from French
gite, coq au vin, dernier cri, clique, hors d'œuvre, touché, naïve, coquette, bourgeois, contretemps, flâneur, film noir and 63 more...
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the list
i live in a human..., escapism, crush, infinite, alleviate, gallows, scapegallows, violet, downfall, whisper, watch-word, haven and 15 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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September Words-11337
During the month of September, post at least 10 new words to this list. Make sure you cite where you read the word (book/author/pg) and quote the context/sentence where you found it. If someone has...
flabbergasted, discombobulated, inclination, serendipity, savvy, profound, incarnation, myriad, confiscate, audacity, deciduous, adieu and 79 more...
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Poetry
lucid, silhouette, ethereal, illumination, serenity, requiem, adieu, celestial, esoteric, myriad, ebony, kaleidoscope and 16 more...
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English with Tongue
French words and phrases used by English speakers.
objet d'art, nom de plume, petite, bon voyage, avant-garde, faux pas, faux, touché, répondez, s'il vo..., rouge, papier mâché, joie de vivre and 85 more...
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♥
ambrosia, inamorata, gossamer, lily-white, hummingbird, roucoulement, poppy, daisy, calypso, lunula, lamb, dove and 1526 more...
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Serendipity's Words
defenestration, mercurial, syzygy, wicked, iniquitous, metastable, demimonde, entropic, ephemeral, irreligious, frisbee, manifold and 474 more...
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5000 FREE SAT Words
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 229 more...
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Words from Moby Dick
frigate, presumptuous, genteel, succor, hearthstone, gentry, factitious, bilious, insurgent, portent, enervate, genuflect and 303 more...
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katiefallwest's Words
facetious, hallows, snarky, literati, cantankerous, gryphon, esoteric, fortuitous, impetus, ubiquitous, muggle, colour and 144 more...
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Man likes these words
danube, schadenfreude, macabre, wanderlust, epiphany, azure, zeitgeist, cerulean, ennui, rhine, abyss, mulch and 130 more...
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Professional Scrabble Lexicon (TWL)
A myriad of game-changing words every Scrabble addict must have in his arsenal.
Keep in mind that these are all tried-and-true feasibly playable words selected for their handiness, i.e...paragon, pignora, ganef, suttee, origan, ohia, aioli, abasement, lehr, mho, tallow, harelike and 843 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for adieu.
Charnell mack She waved him an adieu from the window, and stood there for a moment looking out after he was gone.(online dictionary) Sep 23, 2010