bygone

[ bahy-gawn, -gon ]

adjective

1. past; gone by; earlier; former:

   The faded photograph brought memories of bygone days.

noun

1. Usually bygones. that which is past:

   Let's not talk of bygones.

bygone

/ ˈbaɪˌɡɒn /

adjective

1. usually prenominal past; former

noun

1. often plural a past occurrence
2. often plural an artefact, implement, etc, of former domestic or industrial use, now often collected for interest
3. let bygones be bygones
   to agree to forget past quarrels

Word History and Origins

Origin of bygone¹

1375–1425; late Middle English (north) by-gane; gone, by

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. let bygones be bygones, to decide to forget past disagreements; become reconciled:

   Let's let bygones be bygones and be friends again.

Example Sentences

Despite a series of renovations several years ago, the park still had a bygone, musty air.

From Los Angeles Times

Journalist Olivia Petter says the cigarette has become a symbol that represents our nostalgia towards a bygone era of carefreeness, frivolity and hedonism and it's making an epic comeback in pop culture.

From BBC

I feel like the bridge between a bygone age of Brian Johnston and Fred Trueman, to a new era involving the likes of Steven Finn and Alex Hartley.

From BBC

Distant memories of a bygone era were etched over a County Tyrone man's face as a well-known dance hall was reduced to rubble.

From BBC

Before each performance, the scene is set by a narrator who speaks in a prim, puritanical accent reminiscent of a bygone era.

From Los Angeles Times