epitaph Hear it!

epitaph definition

epi·taph (epə taf′, -täf′)

noun

  1. an inscription on a tomb or gravestone in memory of the person buried there
  2. a short composition in prose or verse, written as a tribute to a dead person, past event, etc.

Etymology: ME & OFr epitaphe < L epitaphium, eulogy < Gr epitaphion < epi, upon, at + taphos, tomb < thaptein, to bury

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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