adieu

English

Etymology

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 Medieval Latin ad Deum (“to God”). Doublet of adios.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈdu/, /əˈdju/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /əˈdjuː/, /əˈdjɜː/
• Rhymes: -uː

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Interjection

adieu

1. Said to wish a final farewell; goodbye.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 3 Scene 1

     BEATRICE. What fire is in mine ears? Can this be true?

     Stand I condemn'd for pride and scorn so much?

     Contempt, farewell! and maiden pride, adieu!

     No glory lives behind the back of such.

Usage notes

Although the above pronunciations are usually used in American and RP English, neither is the standard pronunciation in French.

Synonyms

• addio, adios, aloha, arrivederci, auf Wiedersehen, au revoir, bye, bye-bye, cheerio, cheers, ciao, farewell, good-by, good-bye, goodbye, good day, sayonara, shalom, so long

Translations

farewell, goodbye — see goodbye

Noun

adieu (plural adieux or adieus)

1. A farewell, a goodbye; especially a fond farewell, or a lasting or permanent farewell.

   We bid our final adieus to our family, then boarded the ship, bound for America.

   • 1931, H. P. Lovecraft, The Whisperer in Darkness, chapter 6:

     As Noyes bade me adieu and rode off northward in his car I began to walk slowly toward the house.

Usage notes

Particularly used in phrase bid adieu.

Derived terms

• bid adieu

Translations

a farewell

• Arabic: الوداع
• Dutch: adieu (nl)
• Estonian: jumalaga, hüvasti
• Finnish: hyvästi (fi)
• French: adieu (fr), farewell (fr)
• German: Adieu (de) n
• Greek: αποχαιρετισμός (el) m (apochairetismós)

  Ancient: ,

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: agyő
• Interlingue:
• Norwegian: adjø (no) n, farvel n
• Portuguese: adeus (pt) m, despedida (pt) f
• Russian: проща́ние (ru) n (proščánije)
• Spanish: adiós (es) m
• Swedish: adjö (sv), farväl (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• (deprecated template usage) Korean: 안녕! (annyeong), 잘 가(세요) (jal ga(seyo))
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Anagrams

• Audie

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Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch adiu, from Middle French [Term?], from Old French [Term?]. Later reinfluenced by French adieu (“to God”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aːˈdjøː/, (less common) /aː.diˈøː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: adieu
• Rhymes: -øː

Interjection

adieu

1. farewell, adieu

See also

• aju

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French

Etymology

Old French a Dieu vos comant (“I commend you to God”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.djø/

• audio:

  (file)

Interjection

adieu

1. farewell, adieu

   Adieu, monsieur le professeur. On ne vous oubliera jamais.

   Farewell, Mr. Teacher. We will never forget you.

2. (Canada, Louisiana) goodbye, see you soon
3. (Southern France) hello

Noun

adieu m (plural adieux)

1. farewell

See also

• à-Dieu-va, à-Dieu-vat

Further reading

• “adieu”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Occitan

Interjection

adieu

1. hello
2. goodbye