Word
adieu
US/əˈdu/
UK/ɐdjˈuː/
Definition
n. a formal way to say goodbye. You use it when you are leaving someone or something for a long time.
n. a formal or poetic expression of farewell. Often used in literary or historical contexts to signify a permanent departure.
Examples
“He said adieu to his old life and moved to a new country.”
“As the ship pulled away from the harbor, the captain stood on the deck and shouted a final adieu to his hometown.”
“The poet's final collection is a series of elegies, each one a heartfelt adieu to a different era of his life spent in the quiet countryside.”
Examples
simple
“He said adieu to his old life and moved to a new country.”
contextual
“As the ship pulled away from the harbor, the captain stood on the deck and shouted a final adieu to his hometown.”
complex
“The poet's final collection is a series of elegies, each one a heartfelt adieu to a different era of his life spent in the quiet countryside.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.