valediction

«valediction» in Mova's school dictionary: the act of saying goodbye, or the words you use to say… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (a valediction, valedictions) — formal

meaning for a pupil

1) (formal) A valediction is the act of saying goodbye, or the words you use to say goodbye. tree →

2) (formal) A valediction is a goodbye speech or poem, or the closing words of a letter, such as «Yours sincerely» or «Best wishes». tree →

sense in the lessons

In English lessons on letter writing, the valediction is the sign-off at the end. In the USA and Canada, the «valedictorian» is the top student who gives the goodbye speech at graduation. In older poems and classics, a valediction is a farewell. In everyday talk people just say «goodbye» or «sign-off».

examples

• «Yours sincerely» is a polite valediction. tree →
• End your letter with a valediction and your name. tree →
• The headteacher gave a short valediction at the leaving party. tree →
• The poem is a valediction to a friend going away. tree →
• A text message rarely has a valediction. tree →
• The valedictorian gave a valediction at graduation. tree →

note

Formal word; plain English: goodbye, farewell, sign-off. Opposite: «salutation» (the greeting, like «Dear Sam»). Pronounced «val-uh-DIK-shun». Letter rule (UK): «Dear Sir» goes with «Yours faithfully», «Dear Ms Lee» with «Yours sincerely».

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «valediction» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.