# congee

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɑnd͡ʒi/ · frequency rank #90,308

## Definitions
1. Leave, formal permission for some action, (originally and particularly)
2. Leave, formal permission for some action, (originally and particularly):
3. Formal dismissal; (figurative) any dismissal; (originally & particularly humorously ironic) abrupt dismissal without ceremony.
4. Formal leavetaking; (figurative) any farewell.
5. A fee paid to make another go away, (particularly) alms to a persistent beggar.
6. A bow, curtsey, or other gesture (originally) made at departure but (later) including at greeting or in obeissance or respect.

## Etymology
From late Middle English congie, from Old French congié, congiet (modern French congé), from Latin commeātus (“passage, permission to leave”), from commeō (“I go and come”), from con- + meō (“I go, I pass”). Figurative senses generally borrowed from developments in French congé.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/congee