valediction
/ˌvæl.əˈdɪk.ʃən/
valediction means A speech made when leaving or parting company. It carries an Arena rating of 1879, earned across 43 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, valediction ranks #454 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,702 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,944 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,195 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
valediction is pronounced /ˌvæl.əˈdɪk.ʃən/.
Why “valediction” is a great word
A word or phrase formally uttered or written to signal a farewell, most particularly the closing remark of a speech or message. First attested in 1614; borrowed from New Latin valedictiō, from Latin valedīcō ("to bid farewell"), from valē ("farewell") + dīcō ("to say"). Unlike a "salutation," which greets and opens, or a "valedictory," which names the entire farewell speech, a valediction is the specific, final gesture of parting itself. It is the weightless "adieu" that hangs in the air after a final embrace, the stately "yours sincerely" in fading ink at a letter's end, or the solemn "Godspeed" whispered to a ship slipping beyond the horizon—the formal architecture we build against the informal sprawl of absence.
Etymology
First attested in 1614; borrowed from New Latin valedictiō, from valedīcō (“to bid farewell”) + -tiō, from valē (“farewell, so long”) + dīcō (“to say”). By surface analysis, valedict + -ion.
noun
- A speech made when leaving or parting company.
- The act of parting company.
- A word or phrase said upon leaving, such as "farewell" or "adieu".
- A word or phrase used to end a letter or message.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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