Plural of congé; formal permissions to leave, depart, or end employment, often given ceremonially or officially.
From French congé, from Latin congedium, meaning 'leave to go away.' The word entered English in the 14th century from Old French and evolved to describe official dismissals or formal farewells.
The architectural term 'congé' (a concave molding) shares this same word root—both meanings involve a formal transition or the 'permission to leave' a space, whether literal or structural!
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