Definition

1. Noun:
   • A mournful poem; a lament for the dead: An "elegy" is a formal and serious poem, typically written to express sorrow, especially for someone who has died. It is a reflective work of literature that meditates on loss and mortality.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The poet wrote a moving elegy for his late wife.
  • Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" is a famous English poem reflecting on death and the lives of common people.

Advanced Usage

• "To write/compose an elegy": To create a poem of mourning.
  • The laureate was asked to compose an elegy for the national hero.
• Elegiac tone/mood/quality (adjective form: ): Describing something that has the sad and reflective character of an elegy.
  • The memoir had an elegiac quality, mourning the lost traditions of his hometown.

Variants and Related Words

• Elegiac (adj): Expressing sorrow or lamentation; having a mournful quality.
  • The music was slow and elegiac.
• Elegist (n): A writer of elegies.
  • The Roman poet Ovid was also known as an elegist.

Synonyms

• Lament: A passionate expression of grief or sorrow.
• Dirge: A mournful song, piece of music, or poem, especially one for a funeral.
• Threnody: A song, hymn, or poem of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person.

Related Phrases

• In an elegiac vein: Writing or speaking in a style that is mournfully reflective.
  • The author's later essays were written in an elegiac vein, lamenting the pace of modern life.

Noun

1. a mournful poem; a lament for the dead