valedictory
1
9.1
- adjective
- /ˌvælɪˈdɪktəri/
- Formal
:
de despedida
- At graduation, she delivered a heartfelt valedictory speech to thank her teachers and classmates.
- valedictory speech
- valedictory address
- valedictory mood
Examples
-
They were in his valedictory address:
Blog text (25) -
And now: the valedictory speech.
Fiction book (1997) -
How's your valedictory speech coming?
-
Ephraim will be eager to hear your valedictory speech.
Fiction book (1997) -
Women broke into applause, and a few "Go girls" could be heard as Dolly began her valedictory speech, telling how she had grown up in a single-parent home and lived in poverty.
Fiction book (2000) -
In one of his valedictory addresses, he blamed Congress for "on-again, off-again indecisiveness in resisting Sandinista tyranny and aggression" that "left Central America a region of continuing danger."
Academic text (1990) -
The valedictory address at the ceremony left a lasting impression on all the attendees.
-
During the closing ceremony, the principal shared a valedictory message that reflected on the achievements of the school year.
Synonyms
Said or written for someone who is leaving as a farewell
Compounds
- Formal
1
8.1
A formal speech by a top student that says goodbye at a graduation ceremony
- Formal
A formal goodbye speech given by a top student at a graduation ceremony
Surface Forms
Morphology
valedictory = valediction (semi-transparent) = valediction + ory
Formed regularly from 'valediction' + the adjectival suffix '-ory', but both elements are Latinate and low-frequency for learners, so the relation is not fully obvious to an average B1 learner.
Etymology
Valedictory comes from the Latin parts vale 'farewell' and dicere 'to say'. So it literally means 'to say goodbye', which is why something valedictory relates to a formal farewell, like a last speech or dinner.