threnody

[ thren-uh-dee ]

noun

, plural thren·o·dies.

1. a poem, speech, or song of lamentation, especially for the dead; dirge; funeral song.

threnody

/ ˈθrɛnədɪst; ˈθrɛnədɪ; θrɪˈnəʊdɪəl; ˈθriː-; ˈθriː-; ˈθrɛn-; ˈθriːnəʊd; θrɪˈnɒdɪk /

noun

1. an ode, song, or speech of lamentation, esp for the dead

Derived Forms

• threnodial, adjective
• threnodist, noun

Other Words From

• thre·no·di·al [thri-, noh, -dee-, uh, l], thre·nod·ic [thri-, nod, -ik], adjective
• thren·o·dist [thren, -, uh, -dist], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of threnody¹

1615–25; < Greek thrēnōidía, equivalent to thrên ( os ) dirge + -ōid ( ḗ ) song ( ode ) + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of threnody¹

C17: from Greek thrēnōidia, from thrēnos dirge + ōidē song

Example Sentences

Personally I reckon “Threnody” will give even Jordan 's page-turners a run for their money.

From The Daily Beast

The ceaseless threnody of the sea seemed to the old man a requiem over dead hopes.

From Project Gutenberg

The beautiful "Threnody" on the death of his boy, reveals the sorrow of a soaring mind rather than the grief of a crushed heart.

From Project Gutenberg

It is scarcely possible to touch the threnody that follows without marring its pathetic and profound beauty.

From Project Gutenberg

This picture was regarded as “a hymn of jubilation for what was attained and a threnody for the sacrifice it had cost.”

From Project Gutenberg

No ode or threnody could equal in vibrating passion Captain Scott's last testament.

From Project Gutenberg