Requiem

American  

[rek-wee-uhm, ree-kwee-, rey-] / ˈrɛk wi əm, ˈri kwi-, ˈreɪ- /

Or requiem

noun

1. Roman Catholic Church.

   1. Also called Requiem Mass.  the Mass celebrated for the repose of the souls of the dead.

   2. a celebration of this Mass.

   3. a plainsong setting for this Mass.

2. any musical service, hymn, or dirge for the repose of the dead.

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Requiem British  

/ ˈrɛkwɪˌɛm /

noun

1. RC Church a Mass celebrated for the dead

2. a musical setting of this Mass

3. any piece of music composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person or persons

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Requiem Cultural  

1. In music, a Mass for one or more dead persons, containing biblical passages and prayers for the admission of the dead to heaven. The term has been loosely applied to other musical compositions in honor of the dead. A German Requiem by Johannes Brahms, for example, uses texts from the Bible (see also Bible) but is not a Mass.

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Etymology

Origin of Requiem

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Latin, accusative of requiēs ”rest” (the first word of the introit of the mass for the dead); see re- ( def. ), quiet ( def. )

Explanation

A requiem is a religious ceremony performed for the dead. A requiem, or dirge, can also be a piece of music used for this ceremony or in any other context honoring those who have died. The word requiem comes from the opening words of the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead, which is spoken or sung in Latin (requies means “rest”). In a nonreligious context the word refers simply to an act of remembrance. Mozart, Brahms, and Dvořák have all written important requiems. The English composer Benjamin Britten wrote his famous "War Requiem" for the reconsecration of a cathedral that was destroyed in World War II.

Example Sentences

A lack of heavy-hitting first-party new games for the Switch 2 in coming months also risks hindering growth, although third-party titles such as "Resident Evil Requiem" should help fill the gap, she said.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

The most striking departures are the handful of wordless sequences of Hujar and Rosenkrantz posing in the manner of a fashion shoot, scored to snippets of Mozart’s Requiem.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

The duchess was a Catholic and there will be a Requiem Mass for her funeral, which will be the first royal Catholic funeral in the UK in modern history.

From BBC • Sep. 6, 2025

At the pre-concert talk Sunday, Wainwright said hearing Verdi’s Requiem as a 13-year-old changed his life.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2025

The orchestra claimed that Conant’s “shortness of breath was overhearable” in her performance of the famous trombone solo in Mozart’s Requiem, even though the guest conductor of those performances had singled out Conant for praise.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell