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WonderWord origin

'Goodbye' is a shortened form of 'God be with ye', a parting blessing used in English since the late 14th century. By the 1570s it had been squeezed into forms such as 'godbwye', and 'God' later became 'good' under the influence of 'good day' and 'good night'.

Etymology

Language

The story behind the card

Sixteenth-century writers spelled the phrase in many worn-down ways, such as 'God be wy you', 'God b'uy' and 'God buy', which shows how quickly everyday speech shortened it. The modern spelling 'good-bye' appears in the 1590s. Many languages hide a blessing in their farewells. Spanish adiós and French adieu mean 'to God', in the sense of 'I commend you to God'. In Turkish the person leaving says Allah'a ısmarladık, 'we have left you in God's care', and the person staying replies güle güle, literally 'smiling, smiling', a wish that the traveller goes happily. English 'farewell' is a wish as well: 'fare well', meaning have a safe journey.

Türkçe oku
İngilizcedeki “goodbye”, “God be with ye” (Tanrı sizinle olsun) dileğinin kısalmış hâlidir. Bu dilek 14. yüzyılın sonlarından beri ayrılırken söyleniyordu; 1570'lerde “godbwye” gibi biçimlere inmişti. “Good day” (iyi günler) ve “good night” (iyi geceler) gibi selamların etkisiyle “God” da zamanla “good” oldu.

16. yüzyıl metinlerinde bu ifade “God be wy you”, “God b'uy”, “God buy” gibi pek çok aşınmış biçimde geçer; gündelik konuşma onu çabucak kısaltmıştı. Bugünkü “good-bye” yazımı 1590'larda ortaya çıkar. Pek çok dilde veda sözlerinin içinde bir dua ya da iyi dilek saklıdır. İspanyolcadaki adiós ve Fransızcadaki adieu “Tanrı'ya” demektir; “sizi Tanrı'ya emanet ediyorum” anlamında kullanılır. Türkçede giden kişinin söylediği “Allah'a ısmarladık” da “sizi Allah'a emanet ettik” demektir; kalan kişi “güle güle” diye karşılık verir ve gidenin yolunun gülerek, mutlu geçmesini diler. İngilizcedeki farewell da bir dilektir: “fare well”, yani “yolunuz açık olsun”.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Valediction
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