General
bona nochy
What does bona nochy mean?
Polari for goodnight, lifted almost straight from the Italian buona notte: bona (good) + nochy (night). Polari pulled heavily on Italian and Mediterranean lingua franca via sailors and theatre folk, so the romance-language flavour runs all through it — bona on its own just means 'good' or 'lovely'. Used exactly how you'd use 'goodnight'.
"Right, I'm off, dears — bona nochy, see you tomorrow."
Origin
Polari (British gay cant), from Italian 'buona notte' (goodnight).
Frequently asked questions
What does bona nochy mean?
Bona nochy is Polari for "goodnight," derived from the Italian "buona notte."
How do you use bona nochy in a sentence?
"Bona nochy, dear — see you tomorrow."
Where does bona nochy come from?
It's from Polari, the old British slang of theatre and gay subcultures, and traces back to the Italian phrase "buona notte."
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