Goodbye? Farewell? Adieu! The Art of Saying Bye-Bye 👋
Visualize this: You’re ending a conversation and you want your parting words to leave an impression. Whether formal, casual, or with a twist of humor, farewells are an inevitable part of human interaction! Let’s delve into the art of waving goodbye.
Definition
Adieu: A French term meaning “to God,” implying a more permanent farewell. It has roots in Old French and Middle English dating back to Chaucer’s time.
Synonyms
- Farewell
- Goodbye
- Take care
- So long
- See you later
- Ciao (Italian)
- Au revoir (French)
Antonyms
- Hello
- Greetings
- Welcome
- Hi there
Humor-Filled Quotes
- “Farewell, my friends, I go to glory, although it be in the back of a freight wagon,” - Charles Farrar Browne (Artemus Ward: His Book. The Shakers)
- “Parting is such sweet sorrow,” famously penned by William Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet—fitting for poets and dramatists alike.
Proverbs and Expression
- “All good things must come to an end” - Traditional English Proverb
- “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” - Origin unknown but often attributed to Sextus Propertius, Roman poet.
Suggested Reading and References
- From Farewell to Hello: The Magic of Greetings and Goodbyes by M. J. Conversant (Fictitious title)
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
- Songs like “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John, or “Hello, Goodbye” by The Beatles
- Movies such as Goodbye Girl or The Farewell
### Which of these quotes is genuinely about saying farewell?
- [x] Parting is such sweet sorrow.
- [ ] Hello darkness, my old friend.
- [ ] To boldly go where no man has gone before.
- [ ] I’ll be back.
> **Explanation:** "Parting is such sweet sorrow," from *Romeo and Juliet* by William Shakespeare, is about the bittersweet nature of saying goodbye.
### Which farewell phrase originates from French?
- [x] Adieu
- [ ] Ciao
- [ ] Adios
- [ ] Arrivederci
> **Explanation:** "Adieu" is the farewell phrase that comes from French, meaning “to God.”
### True or False: 'See you later' is a formal farewell.
- [ ] True
- [x] False
> **Explanation:** "See you later" is a casual farewell typically used among friends and acquaintances.
Farewell and Remember:
“Embrace the end of a chapter, for it leads to the start of something new.”
Authored by: Penelope Parting | Published: October 1, 2023
So as the French have taught us to eloquently say “adieu,” may we humorously and wittily remind you, until we verbose souls meet again, “see you later!”
