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bye

Etymology and origin of the English word bye

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Pronunciation

bye1 side issue, in sport

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
mid-16th century

Etymology

It is a spelling of by used as a noun, from by- “secondary, subsidiary”, as in the side stakes of dicing and in various sports.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A secondary object or side issue: the mid-16th century.[3][5]

Semantic evolution

The phrase by the bye meant “as a side matter” in the 17th century and “by the way” from the 18th.[2] The Bye Plot, the lesser of two plots against James I, is from 1603.[6][3] In cricket a bye is a run scored on a ball that passes the batsman and that the wicket-keeper misses, from 1746.[4][6] The position of a player or team left without an opponent when the others are paired is from 1868 in Etymonline and 1883 in the OED.[4][6] In golf the holes left unplayed after a match is decided are from 1887.[6]

Timeline

  • mid-16th century – a side issue.[3]
  • 1603 – the Bye Plot.[6]
  • 1746 – in cricket.[4]
  • 1868 – a free pass to the next round.[4]
  • 1887 – in golf.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (sport) The right to go on to the next round of a competition without playing, because one has no opponent.
  2. (cricket) A run scored from a ball that the batsman has not hit.
  3. (in by the bye) A side issue; by the way.

bye2 goodbye

Confidence
Established
Formation
Clipping
First attested
1709

Etymology

The interjection is a shortening of goodbye.[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Goodbye: 1709.[4] The SOED dates it to the early 18th century.[3]

Semantic evolution

Bye-bye in this sense is from 1736.[4] As a sound to lull a child to sleep, by-by is much older, from about 1500 (compare lullaby).[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1500 – by-by, a lullaby sound.[4]
  • 1709 – goodbye.[4]
  • 1736 – bye-bye.[4]

Modern meaning

Interjection

  1. (informal) Goodbye.
  • by
  • goodbye
  • lullaby

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Bye.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/bye. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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