adieu
Americaninterjection
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of adieu
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, equivalent to a (from Latin ad “to”) + dieu (from Latin deus “god”)
Explanation
Adieu is a French word meaning "goodbye" that is commonly used in English, especially in the phrase "I bid you adieu!" Adieu is one of those borrowed foreign words we’ve tried to make our own. But why would someone say adieu instead of goodbye? Maybe they're trying to be funny in an overly formal way. Maybe they're trying to spice up their vocabulary. Or maybe they're quoting that song from The Sound of Music: "Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you-ooh!" Saying plain old "goodbye" can get boring, so next time try something like "adieu," "adios," "auf wiedersehen," or "sayonara."
Vocabulary lists containing adieu
The Best Starting Words for Wordle
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Much Ado About Nothing
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Twelfth Night
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"He never stopped renewing himself, reinventing himself, and in doing so conquering successive generations," Macron said, adding: "Adieu Bébel."
From Reuters • Sep. 9, 2021
“I shall only tell you that ’till you bade us Adieu, I hardly knew the value you had taught my heart to set upon you.”
From Washington Post • Nov. 16, 2019
Adieu Monsieur Haffmann Jean-Philippe Daguerre’s drama about a jewelry-shop owner in Nazi-occupied Paris; in French with English supertitles.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2019
I tremble as I carry away their childhood pictures, My mind persists in remembering their games Adieu, the beautiful portico that decorated my living room Adieu, my golden dreams.
From The New Yorker • May 7, 2019
On the stage, Mr. Shakespeare gave the cue in his hollow ghost's voice: "Adieu, adieu, adieu. Remember me."
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
