riddance

English

Etymology

rid +‎ -ance

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹɪdəns/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Noun

riddance (countable and uncountable, plural riddances)

1. The act of being rid of something; deliverance
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii]:

     A gentle riddance. Draw the curtains, go.
     Let all of his complexion choose me so.

   • 2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 230c:

     And this kind of riddance is the most pleasant to listen to of all,

2. The earth thrown up by a burrowing animal.

Derived terms

• good riddance
• good riddance to bad rubbish

Anagrams

• candider, cider-and