dirge
[ durj ]
/ dɜrdʒ /
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noun
a funeral song or tune, or one expressing mourning in commemoration of the dead.
any composition resembling such a song or tune in character, as a poem of lament for the dead or solemn, mournful music: Tennyson's dirge for the Duke of Wellington.
a mournful sound resembling a dirge: The autumn wind sang the dirge of summer.
Ecclesiastical. the office of the dead, or the funeral service as sung.
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Origin of dirge
1175–1225; Middle English dir(i)ge<Latin: direct, syncopated variant of dīrige (imperative of dīrigere), first word of the antiphon sung in the Latin office of the dead (Psalm V, 8)
Words nearby dirge
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for dirge
British Dictionary definitions for dirge
dirge
/ (dɜːdʒ) /
noun
a chant of lamentation for the dead
the funeral service in its solemn or sung forms
any mourning song or melody
Derived forms of dirge
dirgeful, adjectiveWord Origin for dirge
C13: changed from Latin dīrigē direct (imperative), opening word of the Latin antiphon used in the office of the dead
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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