elegy — a mournful, melancholic, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a mournful, melancholic, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈɛlədʒi/
Example Sentences
- Shakespeare's elegies are still read at many funerals today.
- My cat wrote an elegy for her favorite toy mouse after the dog destroyed it.
- The students had to analyze Gray's 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' for their literature exam.
elegy
NOUN[/ˈɛlədʒi/]
a mournful, melancholic, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead

The poet reads an elegy at the graveside as mourners quietly weep.

Writing an elegy drains his energy into lethargy
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Greek elegeion, originally referring to poems written in a specific meter called elegiac couplets. Over time, it came to specifically mean mournful or lamenting poems, especially those for the dead.
Breakdown
From Greek elegeia (mournful poem) + -y (noun suffix forming abstract concepts)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“Shakespeare's elegies are still read at many funerals today.”
“My cat wrote an elegy for her favorite toy mouse after the dog destroyed it.”
“The students had to analyze Gray's 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' for their literature exam.”
“After his smartphone died, Tom composed a dramatic elegy titled 'Farewell, My Digital Soul.'”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
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