valedictory

[ val-i-dik-tuh-ree ]

/ ˌvæl ɪˈdɪk tə ri /

bidding goodbye; saying farewell: a valedictory speech.

of or relating to an occasion of leave-taking: a valedictory ceremony.

an address or oration delivered at the commencement exercises of a college or school on behalf of the graduating class.

any farewell address or oration.

Origin of valedictory

1645–55; < Latin valedict(us) (see valediction) + -ory¹

Lou's valedictory has been acclaimed, without sarcasm, as baseball's Gettysburg Address.

The Stacks: The Day Lou Gehrig Delivered Baseball’s Gettysburg Address |Ray Robinson |July 4, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The congresswoman ended her valedictory to a man she described as “our icon” by saying “Michael Jackson, I salute you.”

The Constitution Is 400 Years Old and More Pearls From Sheila Jackson Lee |Ben Jacobs |March 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
This concession speech was both a tribute to his opponent and a valedictory to his lifetime of service to the country.

A Speech to Make the World Stop |Mark Katz |November 5, 2008 |DAILY BEAST
Her valedictory, like her salutatory, was a diffuse apology for their intrusion upon the sacredness of the installation-eve.

Jessamine |Marion Harland

The last man who was going to be married got his valedictory dinner at the close of session.

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 62, No. 382, October 1847 |Various
The financial and executive report of the two years' work is very concisely given in the valedictory address of June 6, 1867.

Sketches of Successful New Hampshire Men |Various
Then he uttered a valedictory which I have always been glad to recall as his last message, for I never saw him again.

The Story of a Pioneer |Anna Howard Shaw
The students marched, singing songs of adieu, to present a valedictory address to the Rector.

Lola Montez |Edmund B. d'Auvergne

valedictory

/ (ˌvælɪˈdɪktərɪ, -trɪ) /

a farewell address or speech

US and Canadian a farewell speech delivered at a graduation ceremony, usually by the most outstanding graduate