farewell
English · Thesaurus
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farewell¹
- /fɛəˈwɛl/ UK
- /fɛɹˈwɛl/ US
- /feːˈwel/ Australia
- /ˈfeəˈwel/ New Zealand
- /ˈfiəˈwel/
- /ˈfeɹˈwɛl/ Scotland
- /ˈfɜː(ɹ)ˈwɛl/
- /fɑːɹˈwɛl/ obsolete
- /fæɹˈwɛl/ obsolete
Rhymes with -ɛl
Where it comes from
From Middle English farewel, from fare wel! (and the variants with the personal pronoun "fare ye well" and "fare you well" used in the Renaissance), an imperative expression, possibly further derived from Old English *far wel!, equivalent to fare (“to fare, travel, journey”) + well, said to somebody setting out on a journey. Compare Scots farewele, fairweill (“farewell”), Saterland Frisian Foarwäil (“farewell”), West Frisian farwol (“farewell”), German Fahrwol, Fahrwohl,
East Frisian forwal,
Dutch vaarwel (“farewell (sadly)”), Danish farvel (“farewell”), Norwegian farvel (“farewell”), Swedish farväl (“farewell”), Faroese farvæl (“goodbye”), Icelandic far vel (“farewell”). The extensive list of cognates suggests a postulated ultimate Proto-Germanic phrase of origin, possibly something akin to *far wela.
noun farewells · farewel
adjective farewel
- Parting, valedictory, final. a farewell discourse; the band's farewell tour
verb farewells · farewelling · farewelled · farewel
- To bid farewell or say goodbye. He farewelled viewers with a warm sign-off after each bulletin: "May your news be good news, and goodnight."
Farewell²
Where it comes from
From fare + well.
proper noun
- A hamlet in Farewell and Chorley parish, Lichfield district, Staffordshire, England (OS grid ref SK0811).
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: leave-taking, valedictory, leave, parting, exaugural, goodbye, adieu, bye-bye, good-bye, departing, departure, mourn, godspeed, friendly, goodnight, bade
Translations
Every language
noun a wish of happiness at parting
| Español | adiós |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | さようなら sayōnara, ご機嫌よう gokigen'yō, 別れ wakare |
| Português | adeus |
| Français | adieu |
| Deutsch | Lebewohl, Adieu |
| Italiano | addio |
| Ελληνικά | αποχαιρετισμός apochairetismós, αντίο antío |
| Русский | проща́ние proščánije, с бо́гом s bógom |
| العربية | وَدَاع wadāʕ |
noun an act of departure
| Español | despedida |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | お別れ o-wakare, 告別 kokubetsu, 送別 sōbetsu |
| 中文 | 告別 /告别 gàobié, 送別 /送别 sòngbié |
| Português | despedida |
| Deutsch | Abschied, Adieu, Lebewohl |
| Italiano | addio |
| Ελληνικά | αποχαιρετισμός apochairetismós |
| Русский | проща́ние proščánije |
| العربية | فِرَاق firāq, وَدَاع wadāʕ |
adj parting, valedictory, final
| Português | de despedida |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | αποχαιρετιστήριος apochairetistírios |
| Русский | проща́льный proščálʹnyj |
verb bid farewell
| Español | despedirse |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | さよならする, 別れを告げる wakare o tsugeru, いとまごいする itomagoi suru |
| 中文 | 告別 /告别 gàobié |
| Português | despedir-se |
| Français | prendre congé, dire adieu, faire ses adieux |
| Deutsch | Lebewohl sagen |
| Ελληνικά | αποχαιρετώ apochairetó |
| Русский | проща́ться proščátʹsja |
Talk about this word "farewell." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/farewell. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. farewell. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/farewell "farewell." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/farewell.Cite this
@misc{farewell_2026,
title = {farewell},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/farewell},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
