elegy
English
editEtymology
editFrom Middle French elegie, from Latin elegīa, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ἐλεγείᾱ (elegeíā), ellipsis of ἐλεγείᾱ ᾠδή (elegeíā ōidḗ, “an elegiac song”).
Pronunciation
edit- (General American, Received Pronunciation, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈɛlɪd͡ʒi/
- Hyphenation: el‧e‧gy
Audio (UK): (file) Audio (Canada): (file)
Noun
editelegy (plural elegies)
- A mournful or plaintive poem; a funeral song; a poem of lamentation. [from early 16th c.]
- (music) A composition of mournful character.
- A classical poem written in elegiac meter
Usage notes
editBecause the words elegy and eulogy sound and look similar and both concern speeches or poems associated with someone's death and funeral, they are easily confused. A simple key to remembering the difference is that an elegy is chiefly about lamenting whereas a eulogy is chiefly about praising (and eu- = "good").
Synonyms
edit- See dirge
Coordinate terms
edit- requiem – a piece of music played at a mass for the dead
Derived terms
editTranslations
editmournful or plaintive poem or song
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Further reading
edit- James A. H. Murray [et al.], editors (1884–1928), “Elegy”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume III (D–E), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 82, column 1.
Anagrams
editCategories:
- English terms borrowed from Middle French
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Music
- en:Funeral
- en:Poetry
- en:Literary genres