Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An inscription on a tombstone in memory of the one buried there.
- n. A brief literary piece commemorating a deceased person.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An inscription on a tomb or monument in honor or memory of the dead.
- n. A brief enunciation or sentiment relating to a deceased person, in prose or verse, composed as if to be inscribed on a monument.
- n. One of the most pleasing epitaphs in general literature is that by Pope on Gay:
- To commemorate in an epitaph.
- To make epitaphs; use the epitaphic style.
Wiktionary
- n. An inscription on a gravestone in memory of the deceased.
- n. A poem or other short text written in memory of a deceased person.
- v. To write or speak after the manner of an epitaph.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. An inscription on, or at, a tomb, or a grave, in memory or commendation of the one buried there; a sepulchral inscription.
- n. A brief writing formed as if to be inscribed on a monument, as that concerning Alexander: “Sufficit huic tumulus, cui non sufficeret orbis.”
- v. rare To commemorate by an epitaph.
- v. rare To write or speak after the manner of an epitaph.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a summary statement of commemoration for a dead person
- n. an inscription on a tombstone or monument in memory of the person buried there
Etymologies
- Old French epitafe, from Latin epitaphium ("eulogy"), from Ancient Greek ἐπιτάφιος (epitaphios, "relating to a funeral"), from ἐπί (epi, "over") + τάφος (taphos, "tomb"). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English, from Old French epitaphe, from Latin epitaphium, from Greek epitaphion, from neuter of epitaphios, funerary : epi-, epi- + taphos, tomb. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“And her epitaph is delivered by Ben, who says without any hint of irony, “I guess the island was done with her.””
“An epitaph is the inscription found on a tombstone that summarizes and memorializes the deceased.”
“Author Nigel Rees brings to bear upon the strange and sometimes surprising world of the epitaph his formidable skills as an ‘archaeologist’ of the sources of quotation and phrases: each epitaph is explained and located, and its source and context described as fully as possible.”
“Palfrey and Hedge read Parker's Latin epitaph on Chev, amazed at the bad Latinity.”
“The simplicity of this scene recalls the epitaph which is said to have been written in honor of”
“a month after this great deliverance, the champion expired; and his most splendid epitaph is the regret of the Ottoman prince, who sighed that he could no longer hope for revenge against the single antagonist who had triumphed over his arms.”
“An epitaph is on a gravestone, and while I am sure they would be happy to oblige, that wasn’t what they were actually throwing, I don’t think ….”
“Ernest Hemingway once became known for writing a six word epitaph:”
“I copy down the name and epitaph and next to it I write “ghost?””
“An Elegicall epitaph, made upon the death of that mirror of women”
The Churches of Coventry A Short History of the City & Its Medieval Remains
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘epitaph’.
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Writing
graphoanalysis, agraphia, agraphic, anorthography, logagraphia, cipher, code, inscribe, penmanship, cursive, Palmer method, calligraphy and 100 more...
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G[r]eek
A collection of words found in English that are either purely Greek or have Greek etymology.
Please add with caution and certainty. Will be regularly updated by me.etymology, philosophy, laconic, disharmony, patriarchic, archaic, phlogiston, aether, aeon, angel, arachnid, rhythm and 346 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11250 more...
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Realia from Everywhere
Culturally defined terms and expressions from the four corners of the world
fjord, mistral steppe, tornado, tsunami, polder, kiwi, koala, sequoia, Abominable Snowman, paprika, spaghetti, empanada and 299 more...
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Words build meanings from origins( et...
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 2057 more...
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Words sung by: Belle and Sebastian
beguiling, herbaceous, peninsula, suffragette, damascan, hastening, berserk, overtime, leccy, bestow, swathe, arab strap and 193 more...
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Philosophic , etymology
every major discipline has uniquely developed esoteric nomenclature to facilitate interdisciplinary dissemination
quale , qualia, elegy, tacet, lexicon, annunciate, caste, eros, contrive, purlicue, irony, venacular, dilapidate and 569 more...
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Theres a word for that?
people are too specific
spacefaring, sett, koumiss, epitaph, hymenium, esprit de l'escalier, tachophobia, mise en place, quoin, podfading, tower of strength, cantatrice and 9 more...
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songs for the dead
various funerary productions
lament, epicedium, dirge, requiem, elegy, exequy, obsequies, epicede, Thanatopsis, trental, threnody, myriologue and 32 more...
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epi-, ep-
upon; above; in addition
epitaph, epicotyl, epiphenomenon, epipen, epigastric, epithelium, epicenter, epoch, epicardium, epaxial, ephedrine
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Things from my memory
nigger baby, mexican jumping bean, puddle jumper, mood ring, pet rock, cat scratch fever, taxman, hippie, vaseline, argyrol, mercurchrome, methiolade and 655 more...
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dandy's list
favourite words
cattywampus, wibble, fenagle, whisker, sneeze, wisteria, honeysuckle, clove, perihelion, glimmer, twilight, dusk and 264 more...
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ChortleGiggleSnort
Significant Words- Guiding you on your path to Snazzibility
flimsy, feeble, ranting, ramble, narky, snazzy, yoghurt, bulbous, pustule, globulous, geranium, megalomaniac and 521 more...
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kringlan's Words
fecund, riposte, nebbish, nonpareil, deign, eschew, imbroglio, spelunking, fop, foofaraw, tundra, talon and 128 more...
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List Erine
cool mint antiseptic
shalom, cattywampus, bourgeoisie, aerophile, traverse, grotto, epicurean, ex cathedra, nautilus, epitaph, lathe, continuum and 753 more...
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Naresh_Gre
The path meanders through the vineyards
meander, labyrinth, Sinuous, gyrate, caron, awry, credo, banter, juxtaposition, argot, inexorable, foibles and 223 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for epitaph.

oroboros Epitaph for a dentist: Don't intrude on the Good Dentist, he's busy filling a cavity. Sep 10, 2010
Prolagus
(Piazza, New York catcher, by Belle and Sebastian) Mar 7, 2010
chained_bear *raises glass* Mar 20, 2009
reesetee A toast to good, brave doggies everywhere. :-)
*raises glass* Mar 20, 2009
chained_bear It is a very good article indeed. Rather surprisingly, at least to me, it did not make me cry. (Perhaps because I recently went through a similar situation.)
I remember the vet telling us, the first time she was diagnosed, he wouldn't give us a range of how long he thought she'd live. I persisted, "Well, a month? A year? Somewhere in between?" He said, "Maybe a year. I can tell you whatever number you want, but I can promise you only one thing: Whatever I say, she'll make a liar out of me."
She did. She lived for two more years. :) Mar 20, 2009
lea Bloody hell! Thank you, seanahan, for making me cry. :o} I've done laugh-related crying lately with animals more or less, but that story was really a trigger. Boo hoo. Mar 20, 2009
frindley Oh seanahan, that article nearly made me cry. Mar 20, 2009
frindley See dyer. Mar 20, 2009
seanahan The saddest article I've ever read is this article about a Sports columnist's recently deceased dog. For those who aren't into sports, this article transcends sports writing. Mar 5, 2009
lea Good idea, Treeseed. I'll do that. -- However, my own personal choice in case of possible death would be: "Screw you guys, I'm going home!" Mar 3, 2009
treeseed Epitaph to a Dog is a poem by the English poet Lord Byron. It was written in 1808 in honor of his Newfoundland dog, Boatswain, who had just died of rabies. Check it out..it's beautiful. Feb 3, 2008