epitaph

[ep-i-taf, -tahf]

noun

1. a commemorative inscription on a tomb or mortuary monument about the person buried at that site.

2. a brief poem or other writing in praise of a deceased person.

verb (used with object)

1. to commemorate in or with an epitaph.

epitaph

/ ˌɛpɪˈtæfɪk, -ˌtæf, ˈɛpɪˌtɑːf /

noun

1. a commemorative inscription on a tombstone or monument

2. a speech or written passage composed in commemoration of a dead person

3. a final judgment on a person or thing

Other Word Forms

• epitaphic adjective
• epitaphist noun
• epitaphless adjective
• unepitaphed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of epitaph¹

1350–1400; Middle English epitaphe < Latin epitaphium < Greek epitáphion over or at a tomb, equivalent to epi- epi- + táph ( os ) tomb + -ion noun, adj. suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of epitaph¹

C14: via Latin from Greek epitaphion, from epitaphios over a tomb, from _epi- + taphos tomb

Example Sentences

Instead, it seems that American exceptionalism will play a prominent role in the epitaph for American democracy.

From Salon

There’s an abundance of small slabs, simple epitaphs like Our Baby.

From Los Angeles Times

If we were to assign his TV father an epitaph, he could do a lot worse than the unvarnished speech that closes the first season.

From Salon

The circumstances of the child’s death are eventually established as being bizarre and farcical, and along with a recurring gag involving the epitaph on her little headstone, it’s all supposed to be hilarious.

From Salon

A fitting epitaph for a man whose legacy was not just business, but quiet defiance, compassion, and conviction.

From BBC

Related Words

• elegy 
• eulogy