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Synonyms

congé

American  
[kon-zhay, -jay, kawn-zhay] / ˈkɒn ʒeɪ, -dʒeɪ, kɔ̃ˈʒeɪ /

noun

  • congés
    plural
  1. leave-taking; farewell.

  2. permission to depart.

  3. sudden dismissal.

  4. a bow or obeisance.

  5. Architecture. a concave molding, as an apophyge, formed by a quadrant curving away from a given surface and terminating perpendicular to a fillet parallel to that surface.


congé British  
/ ˈkɒnʒeɪ /

noun

  1. permission to depart or dismissal, esp when formal

  2. a farewell

  3. architect a concave moulding See also cavetto

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of congé

From French, dating back to 1695–1705; see origin at congee


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.

See Examples For:

"Then give that girl her congé, give her a dot too, send her abroad and let her marry some count."

From The Perfume of Eros: A Fifth Avenue Incident by Edgar Saltus

"Oh, she gave me my congé next morning, but I didn't care, for I had decided to come back to the States as soon as that month's work was up."

From In the Van; or, The Builders by John Price-Brown

Leave a card pour prendre congé On the town and all its works.

From Wayside Weeds by William Hodgson Ellis

On Stratford’s death in 1348 the monks of Christ Church, thinking to please the king, and doubtless also to found a precedent, elected Edward’s chaplain, Thomas Bradwardine, without waiting for the congé d’elire.

From The English Church in the Middle Ages by William Hunt

It is all pretence on her part, that she has not seen him dallying about; for she has several times, while giving congé to others of the company.

From Gwen Wynn A Romance of the Wye by Mayne Reid

Nominally, the army is about 200,000 men, but it is whispered that numerous congés are given, in order to divert the funds that are thus saved to other objects.

From Recollections of Europe by James Fenimore Cooper

Boiardo did not disdain to assume the style of a minstrel addressing his courtly audience with compliments and congés at the beginning and ending of each canto.

From Renaissance in Italy: Italian Literature Part 1 (of 2) by John Addington Symonds

They then made me many apologies and congés, stretching forth their hands in token of friendship; in short, they now behaved with as much civility as before with rudeness.

From Memoirs and Historical Chronicles of the Courts of Europe Marguerite de Valois, Madame de Pompadour, and Catherine de Medici by Various

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