Elegiac
/ˌɛl.ɪˈdʒaɪ.ək/noun
Relating to an elegy, especially one expressing sorrow or lamentation.
Did you know?In ancient Greek, an elegy was originally tied to a specific metrical form used for lament, so the word’s history is less “sad poem” and more “ritualized grief in verse.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἐλεγείᾱ (elegeíā)
“a poem in elegiac meter; later, a lament”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἐλεγεῖον (elegeîon)
“elegiac verse, especially a couplet used in poetry”
Latin
Latin
elegiacus
“pertaining to elegiac poetry or lamenting verse”
Middle English
English
elegiaque / elegiac
“relating to elegy or mournful verse”
Modern English
English
elegiac
“expressing or characteristic of elegy; mournful, plaintive”