Tata
/ˈtɑː.tɑː/noun
An informal British expression meaning goodbye.
Did you know?Unlike many supposedly mystical word origins, the history of “ta-ta” is genuinely uncertain: dictionaries trace it to the informal “ta,” probably a nursery or conversational form associated with thanks.
Etymological Timeline
18th Century
English
ta
“An informal expression of thanks, especially in British English”
Early 19th Century
English
ta-ta
“A reduplicated informal expression of farewell”
1830s
English
ta-ta
“Recorded in writing as a casual goodbye”
Modern English
English
tata
“A less common unhyphenated spelling of “ta-ta,” meaning goodbye”