Dirge
/dɜːrdʒ/noun
A funeral song or lament for the dead.
Did you know?Dirge entered English through the Latin liturgical phrase *Dirige, Domine* (“Direct, O Lord”), the opening of the Office of the Dead, so the word’s funeral meaning grew out of church chant.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reg-
“to move in a straight line; to lead, rule, direct”
Latin
Latin
regere
“to guide, rule, keep straight”
Late Latin
Latin
dirigere
“to set straight, direct”
Medieval Latin
Latin
dirige
“direct, guide; the opening word of a funeral chant”
Middle English
English
dirige
“a funeral chant or lament”
Modern English
English
dirge
“a funeral song or lament”