Meanings
plural valedictions
- The act of parting company.
Synonyms: leave-taking
- A word or phrase said upon leaving, such as "farewell" or "adieu".
Yes, the tide will surely turn, and meanwhile may one who is proud to call himself a partisan, invite whomever may feel disposed to bid the "T14s" adieux, to pause before giving them valediction and accord to them the respect that is assuredly their due.
1952 January, Henry Maxwell, “Farewell to the "T14s"”, in Railway Magazine, page 57 - A word or phrase used to end a letter or message.
Synonyms: complimentary close, complimentary closing
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe act of parting company.
nounA word or phrase used to end a letter or message.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna farewell oration (especially one delivered during graduation exercises by an outstanding member of a graduating class)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- New Latinvaledictiō
- Englishvalediction
First attested in 1614; borrowed from New Latin valedictiō, from valedīcō (“to bid farewell”) + -tiō, from valē (“farewell, so long”) + dīcō (“to say”). By surface analysis, valedict + -ion.
More words from New Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian прощална реч, сбогуване
- прощална реч (proštalna reč)speech
- сбогуване (sboguvane)act
Catalan comiat, despedida
- comiatact
- despedidaact
Dutch afsluiting
- afsluitingword or phrase to end a letter or message
Finnish jäähyväispuhe, jäähyväissanat
- jäähyväispuhespeech
- jäähyväissanatspeech
- jäähyväisetact
- hyvästelysanaword or phrase upon leaving
- lopputoivotusword or phrase to end a letter or message
French discours d'adieu, adieux
- discours d'adieuspeech
- adieuxact
- adieuword or phrase upon leaving
- salutword or phrase upon leaving
- à la prochaineword or phrase upon leaving
- chaoword or phrase upon leaving
- salutationword or phrase to end a letter or message
German Abschiedsrede, Abschied
- Abschiedsredespeech
- Abschiedact
- Abschiednehmenact
- Verabschiedenact
- Abschiedswortword or phrase upon leaving
- Abschiedsworteword or phrase upon leaving
- Grußformelword or phrase to end a letter or message
- Schlussformelword or phrase to end a letter or message
Italian commiato, commiato
- commiatospeech
- commiatoact
- addioword or phrase upon leaving
- chiusuraword or phrase to end a letter or message
Lithuanian commiato
- commiatoact
Polish mowa pożegnalna, pożegnanie
- mowa pożegnalnaspeech
- pożegnanieact
- słowo pożegnaniaword or phrase upon leaving
- pozdrowienieword or phrase to end a letter or message
Romanian discurs de adio, discurs de rămas bun
- discurs de adiospeech
- discurs de rămas bunspeech
- despărțireact
- rămas bunact
- adioword or phrase upon leaving
- rămas bunword or phrase upon leaving
- formulă de încheiereword or phrase to end a letter or message
Spanish alocución de despedida, despedida
- alocución de despedidaspeech
- despedidaact
- adiósword or phrase upon leaving
- hasta luegoword or phrase upon leaving
- chauword or phrase upon leaving
- hasta la vistaword or phrase upon leaving
- despedidaword or phrase to end a letter or message
- antefirmaword or phrase to end a letter or message
- fórmula de cortesíaword or phrase to end a letter or message
Swedish avskedstal, avslutning
- avskedstalspeech
- avslutningact
- avskedact
- avskedsfrasword or phrase upon leaving
- adjöword or phrase upon leaving
- sluthälsningword or phrase to end a letter or message
- hälsningsfrasword or phrase to end a letter or message
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with valediction
Cite this entry
valediction. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/valediction
“valediction.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/valediction. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “valediction,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/valediction.
Source: valediction on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.