goodbye
UK[ˌɡʊdˈbaɪ]US[ˌɡʊdˈbaɪ]
interj
A word said when someone is leaving or at the end of a conversation.
n
An instance of saying 'goodbye'; a farewell.
Etymology
The word 'goodbye' originates from a late 16th-century English contraction of the parting phrase "God be with ye (you)". This phrase was a common religious well-wishing for divine protection during a person's departure. Over time, through phonetic erosion and frequent use, "God be with ye" condensed first to "Godbwye" and similar spellings, eventually settling as "goodbye" by the 18th century. The transformation of "God" to "good" was influenced by other salutary phrases like "good day" and "good night", aligning the word with a pattern of positive farewells while its original religious connotation faded into the background.
Analysis
This word is a contraction and fusion of the phrase "God be with ye (you)". It is not productively formed from separable modern English morphemes.
Examples
She waved and said goodbye before boarding the train.
It was a tearful goodbye at the airport.
He left without saying goodbye.