thanatopsis

[ than-uh-top-sis ]

noun

1. a view or contemplation of death.
2. (initial capital letter, italics) a poem (1817) by William Cullen Bryant.

thanatopsis

/ ˌθænəˈtɒpsɪs /

noun

1. a meditation on death, as in a poem

Word History and Origins

Origin of thanatopsis¹

thanat(o)- + -opsis

Word History and Origins

Origin of thanatopsis¹

C19: from Greek thanatos death + opsis a view

Example Sentences

"Thanatopsis" was the hymn of his meditations among those solitary woods.

From Project Gutenberg

Between this date and that of the publication of "Thanatopsis" there sweeps an arch of forty-eight years.

From Project Gutenberg

Of the poems of this class, "Thanatopsis," of which we have already spoken, is one of the best known.

From Project Gutenberg

Who ever learned "Thanatopsis" on the summit of the Catskills, and afterwards forgot a line of it?

From Project Gutenberg

The son postpones his expression and leans against a jungle to a fourth encore of the tuneful Thanatopsis.

From Project Gutenberg