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• farewell
  farewell

  interjection

  goodbye; may you fare well.
• Farewell
  Farewell

  noun

  Cape, a cape in S Greenland: most southerly point of Greenland.

farewell

¹ American  

[fair-wel] / ˌfɛərˈwɛl /

interjection

1. goodbye; may you fare well.

   Farewell, and may we meet again in happier times.

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noun

farewells plural

1. an expression of good wishes at parting.

   They made their farewells and left.

2. leave-taking; departure.

   a fond farewell.

3. a party given to a person who is about to embark on a long journey, retire, leave an organization, etc.

adjective

1. parting; valedictory; final.

   a farewell performance.

Farewell ² American  

[fair-wel] / ˌfɛərˈwɛl /

noun

1. Cape, a cape in S Greenland: most southerly point of Greenland.

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farewell British  

/ ˌfɛəˈwɛl /

1. goodbye; adieu

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noun

1. a parting salutation

2. an act of departure; leave-taking

3. (modifier) expressing leave-taking

   a farewell speech

verb

1. to honour (a person) at his departure, retirement, etc

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• farewells
  plural

Etymology

Origin of farewell

First recorded in 1325–75, farewell is from the Middle English word farwel. See fare, well ¹

Explanation

If you’re saying goodbye to someone you might not see for long time, say farewell, preferably while waving a hankie from the Queen Mary before it sails across the Atlantic. Farewell is a fancy way to say goodbye. A farewell is also an expression of good wishes at a parting. If you’re leaving a job after being there a long time, your co-workers might throw you a farewell party. Farewell is an expression, like "goodbye," but also a noun — if you like to leave without a lot of fuss, you don’t like long farewells. Farewell is a combination of fare and well. Fare comes from the Old English word faran, which means "to journey."

Example Sentences

Farewel, how now Ofelia, what’s the news with you?

From Dramatic Technique by Baker, George Pierce

"Farewel, dear children, I will go A fine thing for to buy;" But they, therewith nothing content,35 Aloud began to cry.

From English and Scottish Ballads (volume 3 of 8) by Various

Ye have sav'd your throat, and handsomly: Farewel, Sir.

From The Mad Lover The Works of Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher (3 of 10) by Beaumont, Francis

Good night Roger olde knaue, Farewel Roger olde knaue.

From Roister Doister Written, probably also represented, before 1553. Carefully edited from the unique copy, now at Eton College by Arber, Edward

He took his last Farewel of his Family with a Courage worthy of Admiration.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume III Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

Related Words

• adieu
• bon voyage
• goodbye