going-away

The compound 'going-away' is a transparent combination of two native English elements, 'going' and 'away', each with deep Germanic roots. 'Going' originates from the Old English verb gān, which has a core, stable meaning of moving or traveling. 'Away' derives from the Old English phrase on weg, literally meaning 'on (one's) way' or 'from this place'. The logic of the compound is entirely literal, describing the act of 'going on one's way'. Over time, this concrete action became nominalized and adjectivalized, specifically associated with the formal or significant moment of departure, such as leaving for a journey or getting married, thus acquiring the specialized sense of a farewell event or related to such an event.

Structure: going (to go) + away (from a place) - going: From Old English gān (to go), of Germanic origin. In this compound, it functions as the present participle of the verb 'go', indicating the action of moving or traveling. - away: From Old English onweg, aweg (on one's way, from this or that place), from a- (on) + weg (way). In this compound, it functions as an adverb modifying 'going', specifying direction as 'from a place'.