adieu

From Middle English adieu also adew, adewe, adue, from Old French adieu (“to God”), a shortening of a Dieu vous comant (“I commend you to God”), from Latin ad (“to”) + Deus (“God”). Doublet of adios.

• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈdu/, /əˈdju/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈdjuː/, /əˈdjɜː/
• Rhymes: -uː

adieu

1. Said to wish a final farewell; goodbye.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 3 Scene 1

     BEATRICE. What fire is in mine ears? Can this be true?

     Stand I condemn'd for pride and scorn so much?

     Contempt, farewell! and maiden pride, adieu!

     No glory lives behind the back of such.

Although the above pronunciations are usually used in American and RP English, neither is the standard pronunciation in French.

• addio, adios, aloha, arrivederci, auf Wiedersehen, au revoir, bye, bye-bye, cheerio, cheers, ciao, farewell, good-by, good-bye, goodbye, good day, sayonara, shalom, so long

adieu (plural adieux or adieus)

1. A farewell, a goodbye; especially a fond farewell, or a lasting or permanent farewell.

   We bid our final adieus to our family, then boarded the ship, bound for America.

   • 1931, H. P. Lovecraft, The Whisperer in Darkness, chapter 6:

     As Noyes bade me adieu and rode off northward in his car I began to walk slowly toward the house.

Particularly used in phrase bid adieu.

• bid adieu

• Audie

From Middle Dutch adiu, from Middle French [Term?], from Old French [Term?]. Later reinfluenced by French adieu (“to God”).

• IPA^(key): /aːˈdjøː/, (less common) /aː.diˈøː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: adieu
• Rhymes: -øː

adieu

1. farewell, adieu

• aju

Old French a Dieu vos comant (“I commend you to God”)

• IPA^(key): /a.djø/

• audio

  (file)

adieu

1. farewell, adieu

   Adieu, monsieur le professeur. On ne vous oubliera jamais.

   Farewell, Mr. Teacher. We will never forget you.

2. (Canada, Louisiana) goodbye, see you soon
3. (Southern France) hello

adieu m (plural adieux)

1. farewell

• à-Dieu-va, à-Dieu-vat

• “adieu” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

adieu

1. hello
2. goodbye