obituary
[ oh-bich-oo-er-ee ]
/ oʊˈbɪtʃ uˌɛr i /
noun, plural o·bit·u·ar·ies.
a notice of the death of a person, often with a biographical sketch, as in a newspaper.
adjective
of, relating to, or recording a death or deaths: the obituary page of a newspaper.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
Origin of obituary
Related formso·bit·u·ar·ist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for obituary
British Dictionary definitions for obituary
obituary
/ (əˈbɪtjʊərɪ) /
noun plural -aries
a published announcement of a death, often accompanied by a short biography of the dead person
Derived Formsobituarist, noun
Word Origin for obituary
C18: from Medieval Latin obituārius, from Latin obīre to fall, from ob- down + īre to go
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for obituary
obituary
1706, "register of deaths," from Medieval Latin obituarius "a record of the death of a person," literally "pertaining to death," from Latin obitus "departure, a going to meet, encounter" (a euphemism for "death"), from stem of obire "go toward, go to meet" (as in mortem obire "meet death"), from ob "to, toward" (see ob-) + ire "to go" (see ion). Meaning "record or announcement of a death, especially in a newspaper, and including a brief biographical sketch" is from 1738. As an adjective from 1828. A similar euphemism is in Old English cognate forðfaran "to die," literally "to go forth;" utsið "death," literally "going out, departure."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper