valedictory

/ˌvælɪˈdɪktəɹi/

Etymology

From Latin valedictum + English -ory (suffix forming nouns meaning ‘that which pertains to’, or adjectives meaning ‘of or pertaining to’). Valedictum is the accusative supine of valedīcō (“to bid farewell; to give a valediction”), from valē (“farewell, goodbye”) (the imperative of valeō (“to be healthy or well; to be strong; to have influence or power”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- (“powerful, strong; to rule”)) + dīcō (“to say, speak”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to point out”)). By surface analysis, valedict + -ory.

valedictory means of or pertaining to a valediction (“an act of parting company; a speech made when parting company”); designed for or suitable to an occasion of bidding farewell or parting company. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 77 out of 100.

Why this word is great

VALEDICTORY — [Adjective, Noun] Pertaining to or constituting a formal farewell, especially the closing address delivered at a graduation. From Latin valedictum (past participle of valedicere, "to say farewell"), from valē (imperative of valēre, "to be well, be strong") + dīcere ("to say"), combined with the English suffix -ory ("of or pertaining to"). Unlike a salutatory, which inaugurates a ceremony with welcome, or a eulogy, which praises a life conclusively past, the valedictory occupies the liminal space of a conscious, ceremonial parting. It is the slant of late-afternoon light across an emptying auditorium, the final suitcase snapped shut on a dormitory bed, the weight of a rented gown returned damp from an evening's dew—a ritualized goodbye that turns the strength of its etymology into the very substance of its farewell, a formal articulation of an ending that is always, quietly, a wish for strength in whatever comes next.

adj

Of or pertaining to a valediction (“an act of parting company; a speech made when parting company”); designed for or suitable to an occasion of bidding farewell or parting company.“a valedictory oration”
Of or pertaining to a valedictorian (“the individual in a graduating class who delivers the farewell address, often the person who graduates with the highest grades”).“The first was Larissa Martinez, who divulged her undocumented status during her valedictory speech and told the crowd at her McKinney, Texas, high school graduation she would be attending Yale University with a financial aid package in the fall.”

noun

An address given on an occasion of bidding farewell or parting company.“[Jean-Claude] Juncker gave an emotional valedictory. When he stopped speaking, an Italian journalist stood up. "History will judge you, Mr Juncker," the journalist said solemnly, "but we will never forget you" before urging a round of applause for the Luxembourger's "30 years as a true European".”
A speech given by a valedictorian at a commencement or graduation ceremony.