Goodbye

As we prepare for the beginning of a new era in America, the origin of the words “goodbye, farewell, adios, adieu, and the ever popular ‘see you later’” come to mind. (I am including the Spanish “adios” and the French “adieu” because both are easily understood and occasionally used in American English.)

“Goodbye” is a seriously mangled and corrupted pronunciation of “God be with you.” This wish that the person from whom one is parting should be committed to the care of God is a nice thought, actually. By the sixteenth century it had been worn down by constant usage to “God be wi’ you” or perhaps “God be wi’ ye.” By the 18th century it had further eroded to “God b’ye” and other versions. By the 19th century it had stabilized to “Good-bye,” and it is now consolidated as “goodbye.” I think most people today do not understand that “good” refers to “God,” instead probably thinking that it is something more like “good journey.”

In other languages, it is easier to see the influence of God, as in “adios” and “adieu” in Spanish and French. Each means “to God,” or “go with God,” but they are used, as far as I understand, a little differently. “Adios” is commonly used as a simple parting word. But “adieu” in French, and its cognate “addio” in Italian, are reserved for final partings, times when it is not certain that the people will meet again. For less definitive partings, French prefers “au revoir” (until we see each other again) and Italian prefers “arrivederci,” (same meaning). German also prefers this formulation in “auf wiedersehen.”

The English version of these latter parting phrases is, of course, “See you later,” which is only used in informal situations, however. For a fully formal parting, “Goodbye” is still the best goodbye.