Elegy
noun /ˈelɪdʒi/ — A poem or piece of music written for what's lost.
Definition
A poem, song, or piece of music written in memory or mourning of someone or something lost; a mournful piece.
Beyond the definition
An elegy doesn't just mourn — it transforms grief into art. It honors what was lost by giving it beautiful form. Writing an elegy is one way humans make death and loss bearable.
Origin & history
From Greek elegeia — a song of mourning (elegos 'mournful poem'). Ancient Greek elegies were originally any poem in a specific meter.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
He wrote the piece as an elegy for his hometown, demolished while he was away.
Some of the greatest literature is elegiac — grief given form and beauty.
The film functions as an elegy for a generation that had no language for what it felt.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Elegy” when the meaning fits your context: A poem, song, or piece of music written in memory or mourning of someone or something lost; a mournful piece.
Synonyms
Antonyms
celebration, ode to joy, paean
Related words
Elegy vs lament
A lament is an expression of grief or sorrow — it can be a cry, a song, or a simple statement of loss. An elegy is a specific artistic form: a poem or piece of music that transforms mourning into art. Laments exist in the moment of grief; elegies are crafted in reflection. You can lament in private, without skill or craft; an elegy requires the grief to be given form. All elegies are laments; not all laments become elegies.
Word in the Wild
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
After his mother died, he found himself unable to write about her directly. Every attempt felt too large, too close.
Instead, he wrote about the kitchen — the specific way light came through the window in the morning, the sound of her making tea, a radio programme she'd always had on.
He reads it still, sometimes. He cannot account for why it works — why the small, specific detail does what grand statement never could. He only knows that three people at the funeral came to him afterward and said: "That was my mother too."
Questions about this word
What does "Elegy" mean?
Elegy is noun meaning: A poem or piece of music written for what's lost.. A poem, song, or piece of music written in memory or mourning of someone or something lost; a mournful piece.
Where does the word "Elegy" come from?
From Greek elegeia — a song of mourning (elegos 'mournful poem'). Ancient Greek elegies were originally any poem in a specific meter.