congé

noun

Synonym of apophyge or cavetto, supports at the top or bottom of pillars, particularly rings or ferrils in the extremities of wooden pillars, added to provide support and prevent splintering, their imitation in stone, or a molding in the form of a quarter round.

Similar
apophyge or cavettosupports at the top or bottom of pillarsparticularly rings or ferrils in the extremities of wooden pillarsadded to provide support and prevent splinteringtheir imitation in stoneor a molding in the form of a quarter round

Meanings

nouncongé (plural congés)

plural congés · alternative conge

  1. alternativearchaicAlternative form of congee: a leavetaking, a farewell, in various senses; a bow, a curtsey, or similar gestures whether or not used for taking leave.

    He took off his hat with much ceremony, made a low congé, and was just walking off, when Mick, my cousin, came up, whose ear had likewise been caught by the scream.

    1844 January–December, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “My Pedigree and Family.—Undergo the Influence of the Tender Passion.”, in “The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. [The Luck of Barry Lyndon.]”, in Miscellanies: Prose and Verse, volume III, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1856, →OCLC, page 27
  2. architectureSynonym of apophyge or cavetto, supports at the top or bottom of pillars, particularly rings or ferrils in the extremities of wooden pillars, added to provide support and prevent splintering, their imitation in stone, or a molding in the form of a quarter round.

    Synonyms: apophyge or cavetto, supports at the top or bottom of pillars, particularly rings or ferrils in the extremities of wooden pillars, added to provide support and prevent splintering, their imitation in stone, or a molding in the form of a quarter round

verbcongé (third-person singular simple present congés, present participle congéing, simple past and past participle conged)

present singular third person congés · participle present congéing · participle past conged · past conged · alternative conge

  1. alternativearchaicAlternative form of congee: to take leave, to bid farewell, in various senses; to bow, curtsey, etc.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of apophyge or cavetto, supports at the top or bottom of pillars, particularly rings or ferrils in the extremities of wooden pillars, added to provide support and prevent splintering, their imitation in stone, or a molding in the form of a quarter round.

Similar
apophyge or cavettosupports at the top or bottom of pillarsparticularly rings or ferrils in the extremities of wooden pillarsadded to provide support and prevent splinteringtheir imitation in stoneor a molding in the form of a quarter round

Origin

  1. Latincommeātus“a leave; permission for a leave”
  2. Frenchcongé
  3. Englishcongé

Borrowed from French congé, from Latin commeātus (“a leave; permission for a leave”). As an architectural term, a French calque of ἀποφυγή (apophugḗ, “a leave, an escape; an architectural feature”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

congé. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cong%C3%A9

MLA

“congé.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cong%C3%A9. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “congé,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cong%C3%A9.

Source: congé on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.