obituary
[oh-bich-oo-er-ee]
- a notice of the death of a person, often with a biographical sketch, as in a newspaper.
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- of, relating to, or recording a death or deaths: the obituary page of a newspaper.
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Origin of obituary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for obituary
Contemporary Examples
As far as he is concerned, they're preparing his obituary and he doesn't care to attend the funeral.
And a generation of obituary writers have paid tribute to celebrities as well as everyday people.
Marilyn Johnson explored the subculture of obituary scribes in her wonderful 2006 book, The Dead Beat.
Because in 2014, there really is no such thing as bad publicity…except your own obituary.
As the old saying goes, “There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary.”
Historical Examples
And the words of his obituary notice at once began to dance before his eyes.
The Burning SpearJohn Galsworthy
Well, are you set on keepin' that date in the obituary column, or will we have breakfast?
Shorty McCabeSewell Ford
He sent the obituary of Ascalon, as he believed, ahead of him by wire.
Trail's EndGeorge W. Ogden
We suffered a loss when it died, and it deserves this obituary notice.
My mother has been dead many years, for her name is in the obituary of the house.
In Convent WallsEmily Sarah Holt
obituary
- a published announcement of a death, often accompanied by a short biography of the dead person
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Word Origin
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
n.
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."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper