epitaph

[ ep-i-taf, -tahf ]
/ ˈɛp ɪˌtæf, -ˌtɑf /

noun

a commemorative inscription on a tomb or mortuary monument about the person buried at that site.
a brief poem or other writing in praise of a deceased person.

verb (used with object)

to commemorate in or with an epitaph.

Origin of epitaph

1350–1400; Middle English epitaphe < Latin epitaphium < Greek epitáphion over or at a tomb, equivalent to epi- epi- + táph(os) tomb + -ion noun, adj. suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM epitaph

ep·i·taph·ic [ep-i-taf-ik] /ˌɛp ɪˈtæf ɪk/, adjective ep·i·taph·ist, noun ep·i·taph·less, adjective un·ep·i·taphed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH epitaph

epigram epigraph epitaph epithet

Words nearby epitaph

epistrophe, epistropheus, epistyle, episyllogism, epit., epitaph, epitasis, epitaxial transistor, epitaxis, epitaxy, epitendineum

Example sentences from the Web for epitaphic

  • The word has no celestial signification; yet the history of its epitaphic use is curious enough.

    Exotics and Retrospectives |Lafcadio Hearn

  • If the epitaphic form gave added novelty I must confess that the idea was suggested to me by the Greek Anthology.

    Toward the Gulf |Edgar Lee Masters

British Dictionary definitions for epitaphic

epitaph
/ (ˈɛpɪˌtɑːf, -ˌtæf) /

noun

a commemorative inscription on a tombstone or monument
a speech or written passage composed in commemoration of a dead person
a final judgment on a person or thing

Derived forms of epitaph

epitaphic (ˌɛpɪˈtæfɪk), adjective epitaphist, noun

Word Origin for epitaph

C14: via Latin from Greek epitaphion, from epitaphios over a tomb, from epi- + taphos tomb