Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “elegy” come from?

Elegy comes from Middle French elegie, from Latin elegia, from Ancient Greek ἐλεγεία ᾠδή, a type of mournful song or poem.

elegy (English): A mournful or plaintive poem; a funeral song; a...

Definitions

  1. A mournful or plaintive poem; a funeral song; a...

Ancestry of “elegy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchelegieelegy
2Latinelegīa—
3Ancient Greekἐλεγεία ᾠδήan elegiac song
4Ancient Greekἐλεγείαelegy
5Ancient Greekἐλεγεῖοςelegiac
6Ancient Greekἔλεγοςpoem or song of lament; mournful poem; song,...

Words derived from “elegy”

  • elegist
  • elegize
  • elegiast
  • elegiographer
Every word from Ancient Greek ἔλεγος →