good day
[See good a. 10 c.]
1. A phrase used as a salutation at meeting or parting. † a. In the full forms have good day, God (give) you good day. Obs.
| c 1205 Lay. 12529 Habbeð alle godne dæie. a 1300 K. Horn 753 Rymenhild, have wel godne day. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 5259 Y parte fro þe, & haue god day. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus v. 1074 Ȝit preye I god so ȝeve ȝou god day. a 1400 Isumbras 727 Lady, hafe now gud daye. 1441 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 207 Farewelle, London, and have good day. 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop v. v, My godsep god geue you good daye. 1535 Lyndesay Satyre 4319 Gif ȝe be King, God ȝow gude day. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles iii. xx, Thanks for your proffer—have good-day. |
b. ellipt. in the accusative.
(So F. bon jour, G. guten tag, and equivalent phrases in all the Teut. and Rom. langs. The phr. is less common in Eng. than in Fr. or Ger., ‘good morning’, etc. being more usual.)
| c 1460 Towneley Myst. xii. 128 A good day, thou, and thou. 1798 Jane Austen Northang. Abb. xv, And to marry for money, I think the wickedest thing in existence. Good day. |
2. The salutation expressed by this phrase; chiefly in phrases to bid, give (a person) good day.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1430 Eliezer..haueð hem boden godun dai. a 1300 Cursor M. 8068 He ferd on-wai, And gaf þam godd and als god dai. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 668 Gawan..gef hem alle goud day. 1430–40 Lydg. Bochas iii. i. (1554) 69 a, She rose her vp..Without good day! or salutation. c 1450 Guy Warw. (C.) 1271 The ermyte he yaue gode day, And to Pole he toke the way. 1579 [see bid v. 9]. 1627 Drayton Moon-calf 1388 The dawne..at the windowe biddeth them goodday. 1797 Mrs. Radcliffe Italian i. (1826) 5 The old lady again bade him good-day. 1885 M. E. Braddon Wyllard's Weird I. v. 134 They gave him good-day if they met him in the street. |