до свидания (Russian)

Where does "до свидания" come from?

The Russian phrase "до свидания" literally translates to "until the next sight," functioning as an expression of looking forward to a future meeting. Its roots share a conceptual connection with many Romance language farewells, such as the French "au revoir" or Spanish "hasta la vista," all of which trace back to the Latin verb "vidēre," meaning "to see." Like its counterparts, the phrase emphasizes hope for a subsequent encounter rather than a final departure.

Full etymology tree

• до свидания (Russian), 'goodbye, see you later'
  • compound до (Russian), 'before'
  • compound свидание (Russian), 'appointment; date'
    • derived свидеться (Russian)
      • affix с- (Russian), '(describing an action moving from a single position or many positions into another single position)'
      • derived видеться (Russian), 'to see each other, to meet; to date'
        • derived видеть (Russian), 'to see (perceive by eyesight)'
          • inherited *viděti (Proto-Slavic), 'to see'
        • affix -ся (Russian), 'Reflexive suffix appended to finite verbs and infinitives to make a reflexive, reciprocal, intransitive or passive verb.'

Cognates and doublets

• довиждане (Bulgarian)
• au revoir (French)
• arrivederci (Italian)
• video (Latin)
• até mais ver (Portuguese)
• hasta la vista (Spanish)

Descendants and derived words

• do svidaniya (English)

Updated July 2026

More words starting with OTHER

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