adieu
/əˈdjuː/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈduː/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈdü a-, -ˈdyü/ (ame, mw)
adieu — exclamation
1. a word said to someone when you are leaving them, especially when you do not exp
a word said to someone when you are leaving them, especially when you do not expect to see them again for a long time or ever — a formal and somewhat old-fashioned alternative to 'goodbye'.
'Adieu!' the old sailor cried as his ship sailed away from the harbour.
direct exclamation in a farewell scene
Madame Chen said 'Adieu' to her dinner guests and closed the heavy oak door behind them.
adieu + to + indirect object in a formal setting
'Adieu, my dear students,' whispered the retiring headmaster with a sad smile.
With a quiet 'Adieu,' the night-shift nurse left the patient's room for the last time.
The letter ended simply with the handwritten word 'Adieu' and no return address.
文法句型
adieu + (to + noun phrase)
用法筆記
Rare in everyday spoken English; found mainly in literature, letters, films, or theatrical contexts where a dramatic parting is intended.
常見錯誤
adieu — noun
1. an act of saying goodbye to someone, often with the sense that the separation wi
an act of saying goodbye to someone, often with the sense that the separation will be long or permanent; a formal or literary farewell expressed in words or gestures.
The young explorer bid his family a tearful adieu before his long journey across the ocean.
bid + [indirect object] + adieu
Mei waved her final adieu from the window as the bus slowly drove away.
final adieu + wave from [place]
The ambassador's adieu to the embassy staff was formal but deeply felt by everyone present.
After a decade in London, the singer's emotional adieu felt like the end of an era for her fans.
The Watanabe family's adieu to their neighbours was captured in a faded old photograph.
- farewell
more common in English; similar formality but less theatrical
- goodbye
the neutral everyday term; lacks the literary weight of 'adieu'
- send-off
informal; refers to a celebratory event rather than the act of parting
- valediction
very formal; refers specifically to the words spoken in farewell
- greeting
words or actions used when meeting someone, the opposite of parting
- salutation
a formal expression of welcome at the start of a meeting
文法句型
[possessive] + adieu
bid + [indirect object] + adieu
make one's adieu(s)
用法筆記
Often paired with the verb 'bid' (bid someone adieu) in literary contexts. The plural form 'adieus' exists but is rare — 'adieus' is the standard English plural, though the French plural 'adieux' also appears in formal writing.