Adieu

Adieu (also Ade, good-bye, Adi ) is a French farewell, which is used in France and in most regions of Switzerland and sporadically in southern Germany and Austria. Also Bye has its etymological origin in Adieu.

Origin and Meaning

The word is from the two French words à " in " and dieu "God" together with its roots in the Latin ad Deum " to God (back ) " are. The word has no equal Stubby verb or adjective. Other Romance languages ​​have synonyms words, such as Spanish ¡ Adiós!, Also el adiós " farewell ", Portuguese Adeus! or Italian addio. Grammatically, it is an interjection.

History and distribution

In German Adieu to 1914 was the most common farewell, but was quite successful set at the then incipient anti-French propaganda voice out of use ( " Away with the welschen greeting, goodbye! ' We greet German, bye !' ").

The use in the German-speaking area in the developed in the South and Southwest German form Ade is still current. For this reason, it is mainly used in the Alemannic and Swabian dialect area frequently. In the Swabian region is also the modified form " adet " common. In Württemberg, most of the elderly farewell ada or adele used. In Franconia Ade has also been established in all generations as everyday farewell, but is increasingly displaced from the North German bye. It is particularly in the Upper Franconia, as there many words common, often a smaller version of Adela used.

In large parts of the German-speaking world except the South modifications such as the North German Bye ( adjüs ) or the Rhine Tschö common, both of which have their origin in the French Adieu during the French annexation of the German coastal areas to Hamburg under Napoleon Bonaparte. Meanwhile, in particular the Italian ciao is common among young people in Germany. In southern Bavaria and in Austria Servus.

In German-speaking Switzerland Adieu is next to Goodbye very common. Both farewells are used when one is by you. ( When Duzen Ciao / Bye Bye or are told. ) Interestingly, more Au Revoir ( Goodbye ) in the Romandie, so the French-speaking western Switzerland, said. The Adieu applies there rather than definitive farewell.

Adieu is nowadays often used in the sense of " good riddance goodbye" or " Goodbye " when you assume that you can not see the back, to be adopted person / thing or do not want to see her again.