so long

Uncertain. Compare to Swedish hej så länge and Russian пока (poka). See Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “so long”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

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so long

1. (informal) Goodbye; a valediction used when leaving or departing from a person or place.

   So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

   • 1996, “Eulogy”, in Maynard James Keenan (lyrics), Ænima, performed by Tool:

     He had a lot to say / He had a lot of nothing to say / We'll miss him / We'll miss him / We're gonna miss him / We're gonna miss him / So long / We wish you well / You told us how you weren't afraid to die / Well, so long / Don't cry / Or feel too down / Not all martyrs see divinity / But at least you tried / Standing above the crowd / He had a voice that was strong and loud / We'll miss him / We'll miss him

The phrase also conveyed an implication of "till we meet again," often without a precise timeframe, reflecting its use among people whose interactions were informal and transient, such as travelers, laborers, and other mobile groups. Its earliest social associations were with these informal and mobile communities, where partings were frequent and temporary in nature. ^[1]

• so long as

• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “so long”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “so long”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “so long”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

• Golson, Longos, logons, logs on, loongs