congé
/ˈkɒ̃ʒeɪ
/noun
An unceremonious dismissal or rejection of someone: she gives him his congé, and at the same time avows her real love for him...
- For the first time, it is not beyond the realm of reality to envisage a situation in which he might become ‘unassailable’ - in the sense in which Nigel became so - and, as the penalty for economic failure, receive his congé.
- And then, realizing that I had received my congé, I prepared to depart.
- The reader will now understand why I received my congé from Angelique with such perfect philosophy.
Origin
Late Middle English (in the general sense 'permission to do something'): from Old French congie, from Latin commeatus 'leave of absence', from commeare 'go and come'. The word is now usually treated as equivalent to modern French.