fare thee well
3
9.9
- idiom
- Archaic
:
adiós
- "Fare thee well, Miss Molly", and went away from there and never went back no more.
Examples
-
And so fare thee well.
-
Fare thee well, patriot.
-
OK, fare thee well, John of Jersey.
-
-Fare thee well, my sisters.
-
Fare thee well, my friend.
-
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
-
Fare thee well, friends.
-
Fare thee well, my friend, as you embark on your new journey.
-
As the train departed, she waved and said, "Fare thee well, and take care!"
-
He raised his glass and toasted, "Fare thee well to the departed souls!"
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Words people say when they leave each other
306
1.0
A short word or action people use when they leave each other
279
1.1
A friendly informal way to say goodbye when leaving
199
1.9
A speech or action that says goodbye and wishes someone well
165
1.0
A polite greeting or farewell used in the evening
131
1.0
A polite or formal way to say goodbye when parting
35
8.1
Good wishes for someone starting a journey or new task to be safe and successful
24
9.3
A final goodbye you say when leaving for a long time
15
6.3
Wish someone a nice day or a good time as a friendly goodbye
1
4.6
A short spoken or written message saying goodbye and good wishes
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally analyzable — 'fare' (to be in a condition) + 'thee' (you) + 'well' yields the sense 'may you fare well' or 'I wish you well'. However, the wording is archaic and formulaic (with the uncommon verb 'fare' and the archaic pronoun 'thee'), so learners may not immediately recognize it as a farewell formula without exposure.
Etymology
Fare thee well comes from older English where fare meant 'to go', thee meant 'you', and well meant 'in a good way', so it literally said 'may you go well'. That's why people use fare thee well to say 'farewell' and give someone 'good wishes' when they leave.