elegy

English

Etymology

From Middle French elegie, from Latin elegīa, from Ancient Greek ἐλεγεία ᾠδή (elegeía ōidḗ, an elegiac song), from ἐλεγεία (elegeía), feminine of ἐλεγεῖος (elegeîos, elegiac), from ἔλεγος (élegos, poem or song of lament), perhaps from Phrygian.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

elegy (plural elegies)

  1. A mournful or plaintive poem; a funeral song; a poem of lamentation. [from early 16th c.]
  2. (music) A composition of mournful character.

Synonyms

Coordinate terms

  • requiem – a piece of music played at a mass for the dead

Derived terms

Translations

See also

  • eulogy – similar sounding funeral word

References

  1. elegy” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.

Anagrams

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