Language Experts Reveal the Hidden Meaning of ‘Goodbye’ and It Goes All the Way Back to the 1600s

Language expert John Howarth and Professor Hannah Fry revealed why we say the word ‘goodbye,’ and the reason dates back to the year 1600. During a new episode of the podcast The Rest Is Science, Fry dissects the meaning behind the word and why we truly say it. 

Michael Stevens and Fry were talking about old-time greetings when they stumbled upon the common ‘goodbye.’ She revealed that the 1600s was the exact century from which the farewell greeting originated. It was originally referred to as a “passing blessing,” and the OG phrase was “God be with ye.”

She also claimed that it was said in a very rapid manner, almost at the speed of a tongue twister, one might say. 

After some time had passed, people condensed it to form ‘God be with ye.’ As the years continued to pass by, the term rapidly and permanently fused to finally form ‘Goodbye.’

In a nutshell, the greeting was in common use by the 1600s.  Language expert Howarth also repeated the same fact, along with a little more history on his official Instagram account.

The History of ‘Goodbye’ and How It Became the Norm

While Fry revealed the fully-formed version of the farewell greeting, Howarth revealed another reason why people would use ‘God be with ye.’ This story, however, took place a little before the 16th century, sometime in the 1500s. Back then, travelling alone was considered very dangerous.

In addition to dealing with robbers or murderers, people would also encounter wild animals and other threats.

And so, for protection, people would often say ‘God be with ye’ as a means of getting divine protection for their journey.

This is especially true because when they did part, they didn’t know if they’d ever see each other again. That much hasn’t really changed from then until now. 

Howarth claimed that whenever they’d exchange those words before parting, it was a “heartfelt wish for diving protection.” He reiterated what Fry mentioned when fusing it, or rather abbreviating it to one whole word: Goodbye. 

Now, when it came to English speakers specifically, the language expert claimed that people were already using terms like ‘Good Day’ and ‘Good Evening.’

Goodbye became a fairly new term for them, which quickly transitioned to the norm. 

Language Expert Highlighted Other Dialects With the ‘Religious Link’ 

Howarth further explained that there are other languages, apart from English, in which the “religious link” still exists to date. He went on to reveal the different dialects in which the link is maintained to date.  

Firstly, he brought up the French greeting ‘Adieu,' which is commonly used when people part.

The expert revealed that the word actually means ‘To God.’ Another word used by the French to say goodbye more popularly is ‘Au Revoir.’ 

However, the expert did not mention whether that, too, had a religious link. But what did have a link was the Spanish greeting, ‘Adios.’ The Spanish word shares the exact root meaning of their "versions of goodbye: to God." 

Before concluding his video, Howarth reminded his Instagram followers that they were actually using a 500-year-old blessing.