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Delay vs Adieu - What's the difference?

delay | adieu |

As nouns the difference between delay and adieu

is that delay is a period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity while adieu is a farewell, a goodbye; especially a fond farewell, or a lasting or permanent farewell.

As a verb delay

is to put off until a later time; to defer or delay can be (obsolete) to dilute, temper.

As an interjection adieu is

said to wish a final farewell; goodbye.

delay

English

(wikipedia delay)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) . More at let (to hinder), late, leave.

Verb

(en verb)
  • To put off until a later time; to defer.
  • * Bible, (w) xxiv. 48
    • My lord delayeth his coming.
  • To retard; to stop, detain, or hinder, for a time.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=10 , passage=Mr. Cooke had had a sloop?yacht built at Far Harbor, the completion of which had been delayed , and which was but just delivered. […] The Maria had a cabin, which was finished in hard wood and yellow plush, and accommodations for keeping things cold.}}
  • (label) To allay; to temper.
  • * (Edmund Spenser) (c.1552–1599)
    • The watery showers delay the raging wind.
    Usage notes
    * This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing) . See
    Synonyms
    * See also * adjourn * defer * forslow * postpone * put off * put on ice * suspend

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity.
    • the delay before the echo of a sound
  • * Bible, Acts xxv. 17
    • Without any delay , on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat.
  • * Macaulay
    • The government ought to be settled without the delay of a day.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To dilute, temper.
  • (obsolete) To assuage, quench, allay.
  • * 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , III.12:
    • Those dreadfull flames she also found delayd / And quenched quite like a consumed torch […].

    External links

    * *

    Anagrams

    * *

    adieu

    English

    Usage notes

    Although the above pronunciations are usually used in American and RP English, neither is the standard pronunciation in French.

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • Said to wish a final farewell; goodbye.
  • * 1599 ,
    • BEATRICE. What fire is in mine ears? Can this be true?
    Stand I condemn'd for pride and scorn so much?
    Contempt, farewell! and maiden pride, adieu !
    No glory lives behind the back of such.

    Synonyms

    * addio, adios, aloha, arrivederci, auf Wiedersehen, au revoir, bye, bye-bye, cheerio, cheers, ciao, farewell, good-by, good-bye, goodbye, good day, sayonara, shalom, so long

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • A farewell, a goodbye; especially a fond farewell, or a lasting or permanent farewell.
    • We bid our final adieus to our family, then boarded the ship, bound for America.

    Usage notes

    Particularly used in phrase bid adieu.

    Derived terms

    * bid adieu