Meanings
plural congés · alternative conge
- 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 - 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
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.
Origin
- Latincommeātus“a leave; permission for a leave”
- Frenchcongé
- 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
congé. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cong%C3%A9
“congé.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cong%C3%A9. Accessed November 4, 2026.
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.