congé

See also: conge and congy

English

Alternative forms

• conge

Etymology

Borrowed from French congé, from Latin commeātus (“a leave; permission for a leave”). As an architectural term, a French calque of ἀποφυγή (apophugḗ, “a leave, an escape; an architectural feature”).

Noun

congé (plural congés)

1. (archaic) Alternative form of congee: a leavetaking, a farewell, in various senses; a bow, a curtsey, or similar gestures whether or not used for taking leave.
   • 1844 January–December, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “My Pedigree and Family.—Undergo the Influence of the Tender Passion.”, in “The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. [The Luck of Barry Lyndon.]”, in Miscellanies: Prose and Verse, volume III, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1856, →OCLC, page 27:

     He took off his hat with much ceremony, made a low congé, and was just walking off, when Mick, my cousin, came up, whose ear had likewise been caught by the scream.

2. (architecture) Synonym of apophyge or cavetto: supports at the top or bottom of pillars, particularly rings or ferrils in the extremities of wooden pillars, added to provide support and prevent splintering, their imitation in stone, or a molding in the form of a quarter round.

Derived terms

• congé d'élire

Verb

congé (third-person singular simple present congés, present participle congéing, simple past and past participle conged)

1. (archaic) Alternative form of congee: to take leave, to bid farewell, in various senses; to bow, curtsey, etc.

Derived terms

• conge delire

References

• "† conge, n.¹", "congee | congé, n.²", & "congee | congé, v." in the Oxford English Dictionary, 1891.
• "CONGE", "To CO′NGE", & "CO′NGE" in Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language.

Anagrams

• Gonce, cogen, Genco, gonce, genco

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French congié, cungié, cunged, congiet, cumgiet, from Latin commeātus. As an architectural term, a calque of Ancient Greek ἀποφυγή (apophugḗ, “a leave, an escape; an architectural feature”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.ʒe/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

congé m (plural congés)

1. leave (time off, absence from work, etc.)
2. holiday, day off
3. furlough

Derived terms

• congé de maternité
• congé de paternité
• congé maladie
• prendre congé

Descendants

• → English: congé, conge
• → Tunisian Arabic: كونجي

Further reading

• “congé”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• cogne, cogné