obituary

[oh-bich-oo-er-ee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR obituary ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Origin of obituary

1700–10; < Medieval Latin obituārius, equivalent to Latin obitu(s) death (see obit) + -ārius -ary

Related formso·bit·u·ar·ist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for obituary

eulogy, obit, register, announcement, necrology

Examples from the Web for obituary

Contemporary Examples of obituary

As far as he is concerned, they're preparing his obituary and he doesn't care to attend the funeral.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
And a generation of obituary writers have paid tribute to celebrities as well as everyday people.
The Day the Fairytale Died
Marilyn Johnson
July 12, 2014
Marilyn Johnson explored the subculture of obituary scribes in her wonderful 2006 book, The Dead Beat.
The Day the Fairytale Died
Marilyn Johnson
July 12, 2014
Because in 2014, there really is no such thing as bad publicity…except your own obituary.
Why Bieber Could Benefit From Scandal
Joe Concha
January 27, 2014
As the old saying goes, “There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary.”
Why Bieber Could Benefit From Scandal
Joe Concha
January 27, 2014

Historical Examples of obituary

And the words of his obituary notice at once began to dance before his eyes.
The Burning Spear
John Galsworthy
Well, are you set on keepin' that date in the obituary column, or will we have breakfast?
Shorty McCabe
Sewell Ford
He sent the obituary of Ascalon, as he believed, ahead of him by wire.
Trail's End
George W. Ogden
We suffered a loss when it died, and it deserves this obituary notice.
The Continental Monthly , Vol. 2 No. 5, November 1862
Various
My mother has been dead many years, for her name is in the obituary of the house.
In Convent Walls
Emily Sarah Holt

British Dictionary definitions for obituary

obituary

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for 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."