bid adieu
Say goodbye, take leave of, as in It's beyond my bedtime, so I bid you all adieu, or I'll be glad to bid adieu to these crutches. French for “goodbye,” adieu literally means “to God” and was part of à dieu vous commant, “I commend you to God.” Adopted into English in the 1300s, it was first recorded in Chaucer's Troilus and Cressida (c. 1385). Today it is considered quite formal, although it also is used humorously.
Words Nearby bid adieu
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
How to use bid adieu in a sentence
I bid adieu to my friend Bartholomew, and could not avoid shedding tears; he embraced me and all my men.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume II (of 3) | Elliott CouesAt one o'clock, we bid adieu to our friendly hostess, who was one of the finest women I had seen in New Spain.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume II (of 3) | Elliott CouesThey wished once more, perhaps for ever, to bid adieu to this intrepid monk.
History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, Vol 2 | J. H. Merle D'AubignIt was too early, however, for me to camp; hence I mounted my horse and rode up once more to bid adieu to the cataract.
The Backwoodsman | Various"I must bid adieu to Mrs. Brooke and Bertha and return home to-night," was the thought in his mind.
Guy Kenmore's Wife and The Rose and the Lily | Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller
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