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con·gé

(kŏnzhā′, -jā′, kôɴ-zhā) also con·gee (kŏnjē′, - zhē′)

1. Formal or authoritative permission to depart.

2. An abrupt dismissal.

3. A leave-taking.

4. A formal bow.

5. Architecture A concave molding.

[Middle English conge and French congé, both from Old French congie, from Latin commeātus, from past participle of commeāre, to come and go : com-, com- + meāre, to go; see mei-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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