We don\u2019t often realize why we say everyday words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goodbye. It\u2019s a word so many of us use daily. Some shorten it and simply say, \u201cBye!\u201d If you\u2019re a toddler, you might say, \u201cBye bye.\u201d If you\u2019re from the South, you may say, \u201cBah.\u201d But have you ever stopped to think where the word came from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A clip from the podcast The Rest is Science, co-hosted by Hannah Fry (a British mathematician) and Michael Stevens (an educator), has been making the rounds on Facebook. Fry explains how the word gently morphed from a completely different phrase in the 1600s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across many languages
Fry shares the etymology, saying, \u201cThe 1600s is the exact century when the parting blessing \u2018God be with ye\u2019 was so said so rapidly and often as phatic communion that it permanently mashed together into \u2018God b\u2019wy\u2019 and eventually \u2018goodbye.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is of equal fascination (at least for linguist-lovers) is that this seems to be common among many languages, not just English. A commenter shares the Spanish and French equivalents, writing, \u201cAdios from phrase (a Dios vais), meaning \u2018I entrust you to God,\u2019 and adieu from phrase \u2018a dieu vous commant,\u2019 meaning \u2018I command you to God,\u2019 are both formal farewells.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another adds that Croatians have a similar term. \u201cIn Croatian, you can say \u2018zbogom,\u2019 which translates to \u2018with God\u2019 or \u2018go with God.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John Howarth (@Johnsenglishpage) shares the same knowledge in an Instagram Reel and specifically asks commenters to share versions in other languages. One writes, \u201cYes. In Brazilian Portuguese we say \u2018Vai com Deus,\u2019 which translating word by word would be \u2018May God go with you,\u2019 which means \u2018God be with you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Germany enters the chat with one commenter writing, \u201cIn southern Germany, or more specifically in Bavaria, we say \u2018Pfia God\u2019 (also Pfiad di God). This is a warm, traditional Bavarian farewell greeting that literally means \u2018May God protect you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russians have their own version. \u201cThank you in Russian is spasibo which is a shortened spasi bog meaning \u2018god save you.\u2019 Every time we say thanks we (are) actually wishing each other to be saved by God,\u201d writes another commenter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it\u2019s not just \u2018goodbye\u2019
Upworthy spoke with Spanish language expert Jennifer Jin, who doubles down on the similarity that\u2019s often seen among cultures. \u201cYou see something similar in Spanish with the word \u2018adi\u00f3s,\u2019 which can be broken down into two Spanish words: a (to) + dios (God). This is similar to English phrases like \u2018go with God\u2019 or \u2018I commend you to God,\u2019 showing how similar these farewells are across languages and cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also shares that some common sayings are less obvious than others. \u201cThere are other common phrases in English and Spanish, like \u2018\u00a1Dios m\u00edo!\u2019 (My God!) or \u2018gracias a Dios\u2019 (thank God) that are more obviously linked to religion, whereas in \u2018goodbye\u2019 it\u2019s a more hidden connection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why it possibly became \u2018good\u2019
In a 2016 piece for Columbia Journalism Review further exploring the origin of the word morphing, former New York Times copy editor Merrill Pearlman writes, \u201cThe Oxford English Dictionary traces it to the 16th century and says our current \u2018goodbye\u2019 was formed partly by clipping or shortening \u2018Godbewithyou,\u2019 where people speak hastily or in shorthand, and partly by compounding, the practice of combining two or more words into one. \u2018God\u2019 may also have become \u2018good\u2019 because it seemed to go with other expressions like \u2018good morning\u2019 and \u2018good night.\u2019 And we do like some consistency in our language.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If one goes further back in time, they can find partings that don\u2019t have the religious affiliation. \u201cYou can, of course, say \u2018farewell,\u2019 shortened for \u2018fare thee well.\u2019 These are among the oldest parting words in the English language; the OED traces the phrase to the late 14th century.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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