Epitaph Definition

ĕpĭ-tăf
epitaphs
noun
An inscription on a tomb or gravestone in memory of the person buried there.
Webster's New World
A brief literary piece commemorating a deceased person.
American Heritage
A short composition in prose or verse, written as a tribute to a dead person, past event, etc.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
verb

(intransitive) To write or speak after the manner of an epitaph.

Wiktionary

To commemorate by an epitaph.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Epitaph

Noun

Singular:
epitaph
Plural:
epitaphs

Origin of Epitaph

  • Middle English from Old French epitaphe from Latin epitaphium from Greek epitaphion from neuter of epitaphios funerary epi- epi- taphos tomb

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Old French epitafe, from Latin epitaphium (“eulogy”), from Ancient Greek ἐπιτάφιος (epitaphios, “relating to a funeral”), from ἐπί (epi, “over”) + τάφος (taphos, “tomb”).

    From Wiktionary

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