Definition

Noun: 1. A poet who writes elegies: An elegist is specifically a writer or composer of elegies, which are formal poems that are typically mournful, reflective, and lament the dead or express sorrow over loss.

Examples of Usage

• The Roman poet Ovid is remembered not only for his love poetry but also as an elegist for his works of exile.
• In the 18th century, Thomas Gray was a prominent English elegist, most famous for his "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard."
• Modern elegists often use the form to mourn not just individuals, but also lost eras or ways of life.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used more broadly to describe a poet whose body of work is characterized by a melancholic or reflective tone, even if not all poems are strict elegies. For example: "She is considered the great elegist of the postwar generation, capturing its pervasive sense of grief."

Variants and Related Words

• Elegy (n): The mournful poem itself, lamenting the dead or expressing sorrow.
  • Whitman's "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" is an elegy for President Lincoln.
• Elegiac (adj): Having a mournful, sorrowful, or reflective quality, characteristic of an elegy.
  • The music had a slow, elegiac tone that suited the memorial service.

Synonyms

• Lamenter: One who expresses grief or sorrow (more general, not specific to poetry).
• Mourning poet: A descriptive phrase for a poet who writes about loss.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To write in an elegiac mode/vein: To compose poetry or prose that has the reflective, sorrowful qualities of an elegy. This phrase describes the style rather than naming the poet.
  • In his later years, the novelist began to write in a more elegiac vein, reminiscing about a vanished world.

Noun

1. the author of a mournful poem lamenting the dead