1. [n]  the act of departing politely; "he disliked long farewells"; "he took his leave"; "parting is such sweet sorrow"
2. [n]  an acknowledgment or expression of goodwill at parting

Farewell
Renowned for the way his plays and movies evoke small-town life, Foote here turns his talents to focus on his own childhood, retelling stories he heard at the feet of his countless relatives and neighbors, examining the ways race shaped his school days, and considering how his adult experience of his boyhood home compares to his memories.

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1. \Fare`well"\, interj. [Fare (thou, you) + well.]
   Go well; good-by; adieu; -- originally applied to a person
   departing, but by custom now applied both to those who depart
   and those who remain. It is often separated by the pronoun;
   as, fare you well; and is sometimes used as an expression of
   separation only; as, farewell the year; farewell, ye sweet
   groves; that is, I bid you farewell.
         So farewell hope, and with hope, farewell fear.
                                                  --Milton.
         Fare thee well! and if forever, Still forever fare thee
         well.                                    --Byron.
   Note: The primary accent is sometimes placed on the first
         syllable, especially in poetry.
   

2. \Fare`well"\, n.
   1. A wish of happiness or welfare at parting; the parting
      compliment; a good-by; adieu.
   2. Act of departure; leave-taking; a last look at, or
      reference to something.
            And takes her farewell of the glorious sun. --Shak.
            Before I take my farewell of the subject. --Addison.
   

3. \Fare"well`\, a.
   Parting; valedictory; final; as, a farewell discourse; his
   farewell bow.
         Leans in his spear to take his farewell view.
                                                  --Tickell.
   {Farewell rock} (Mining), the Millstone grit; -- so called
      because no coal is found worth working below this stratum.
      It is used for hearths of furnaces, having power to resist
      intense heat. --Ure.