elegy

Meaning

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

Synonyms

dirge

lament

funeral song

threnody

lamentation

requiem

lay

sad song

mournful melody

jeremiad

sad tune

plaintive melody

Hyphenated as

el‧e‧gy

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɛlɪd͡ʒi/

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”).