kōⁿzhā, ˈkänˌjā noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from Old French congié — more at congee
1.
a. : a formal permission to depart (as from one in authority)
you've got your congé , and my blessing on ye — George Meredith
b.
[French, from Old French congié ]
: dismissal
she was given her congé with a good deal less in the way of salary than she was entitled to — Susan Ertz
he got by way of congé a punch in the nose
2. : a ceremonious bow made as a sign of recognition or at taking one's leave
shuffling forward with a hundred apish congés — Sir Walter Scott
3. : leave-taking , farewell
we may as well make out congés here … as under the porter's nose — A.T.Quiller-Couch
the departing spirit saying his congé dimmer and fainter as he leaves our stupidities behind — Christopher Morley
4.
[French, from Old French congié ]
architecture : a molding of concave quarter-round profile tangent to a vertical surface and followed by a fillet parallel to that surface — see molding illustration