elegy

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A mournful or plaintive poem; a funeral song; a poem of lamentation.
  2. A composition of mournful character.
  3. A classical poem written in elegiac meter

Pronunciation

/ˈɛlɪd͡ʒi/ en-uk-elegy.ogg en-ca-elegy.opus

Word forms

elegy elegies

Etymology

From Middle French elegie, from Latin elegīa, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ἐλεγείᾱ (elegeíā), ellipsis of ἐλεγείᾱ ᾠδή (elegeíā ōidḗ, “an elegiac song”).

Synonyms

monody. See dirge
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