# "Bye Bye"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye/140935>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 6, 2002, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye/140935 "2002-12-06T15:41:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nishroch\_Order](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Nishroch\_Order](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nishroch_Order)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye/140935/1 "2002-12-06T15:41:23Z")

</div>

How did the words “byebye” came to be used as a farewell gesture? When was its first use in english?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye/140935/2 "2002-12-06T15:53:14Z")

</div>

GoodBye (as you may already know) is a contraction of “God be with ye”

But that doesn’t answer your question, sorry.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye/140935/3 "2002-12-06T18:34:17Z")

</div>

According to the OED, “byebye” predates “goodbye.”

> [@](#):
>
> Bye-bye (1)  
> A sound used to lull a child to sleep; hence, a childish name for ‘sleep’ or ‘bed’.
> 
> a1500 Carol in Rel. Ant. II. 76 By, by, lulley…By and lulley. 1636 N. WALLINGTON in Ann. Dubrensia (1877) 32 Pug sang By-babie, with delightfull charmes.

> [@](#):
>
> Goodbye
> 
> 1. As an exclamation: A form of address at parting; farewell. Also in to bid, say good bye (to).
> 
> 1573-80 [see 2]. 1588 SHAKES. L.L.L. III. i. 151, I thanke your worship, God be wy you. 1591 1 Hen. VI, III. ii. 73 God b’uy my Lord. 1600 HEYWOOD 2 Edw. IV, Wks. (1874) I. 141 Gallants, God buoye all.

(Interesting that Shakespeare is the first to use it in this sense.)

And Finally:

> [@](#):
>
> Bye-bye(2)  
> A colloquial and nursery variant of GOOD-BYE.
> 
> 1709 Tatler No. 2, For Hat and Sword He’d call, Then, after a faint Kiss,cry, B’y, Dear Moll: Supper and Friends expect me.

So it looks like:

1. “Bye-bye” was a nursery term meaning “go to sleep.”
2. Some time later, “God be with you” was contracted to “goodbye.”
3. “Bye-bye,” already used in a similar context, took on the meaning of “goodbye.”

Man, the OED is a wonder!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye/140935/4 "2002-12-06T20:28:08Z")

</div>

No question, the OED is the best. And if you have a Los Angeles Public Library card, you can use the OED on the internet, free, by entering your card number. I imagine other library systems also have this excellent arrangement.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye/140935/5 "2002-12-06T22:14:15Z")

</div>

The Chicago Public Library discontinued the online OED earlier this year. ☹