goodbye (English)

Where does "goodbye" come from?

The word "goodbye" began as the pious prayer, "God be with ye," a phrase which gradually condensed over centuries into "God b'w'y" and eventually "goodby." The term later shifted to its modern spelling through the influence of common expressions like "good morning" and "good night." Ultimately, this heartfelt blessing evolved into the standard, neutral farewell we use today.

Full etymology tree

goodbye (English), 'Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing.'
- inherited Godby'e (Early Modern English)
  - inherited God b'w'y (Early Modern English)
    - inherited God buy you (Early Modern English)
      - inherited God be with ye (Early Modern English)
- influence good (English), 'Of a person or an animal:'
  - inherited good (Middle English), 'good (of good quality or behaviour)'
    - inherited gōd (Old English), 'good'
      - inherited *gōd (Proto-West Germanic), 'good'
        inherited *gōdaz (Proto-Germanic), 'good'
        inherited *gʰedʰ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to join'
- influence bye (English), 'The position of a person or team in a tournament or competition who draws no opponent in a particular round so advances to the next round unopposed, or is awarded points for a win in a league table; also the phantom opponent of such a person or team.'
  - inherited bī (Old English), 'about (concerning)'
    - inherited *bī (Proto-West Germanic), 'by, at'
      - inherited *bi (Proto-Germanic), 'by, at'
        inherited *h₁epi (Proto-Indo-European), 'on, at, near'

Direct ancestors

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris