epitaph

noun

ep·i·taph ˈe-pə-ˌtaf How to pronounce epitaph (audio)

: an inscription on or at a tomb or a grave in memory of the one buried there

: a brief statement commemorating or epitomizing a deceased person or something past

epitaphial

ˌe-pə-ˈta-fē-əl How to pronounce epitaph (audio)

adjective

epitaphic

ˌe-pə-ˈta-fik How to pronounce epitaph (audio)

adjective

Did you know?

An inscription on a tomb is an epitaph, as is, by extension, anything written as if to be inscribed on a tomb. Probably the earliest surviving epitaphs are those written on ancient Egyptian sarcophagi and coffins. In Elizabethan times, epitaphs became much more common in English. Many of the best known are literary memorials (often deliberately witty) not intended for a tomb. Benjamin Franklin’s epitaph for himself plays on his trade as a printer, hoping that he will “appear once more in a new and more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by the Author.” The 20th-century writer and wit Dorothy Parker’s suggested epitaphs include “I told you I was sick” and “If you can read this, you’re standing too close.”

Example Sentences

The epitaph reads “In loving memory of John Gray: husband, father, soldier.”

Recent Examples on the Web Johnson’s political epitaph could hardly have been more eloquently written.

Fintan O’toole, The New York Review of Books, 7 Sep. 2022 Russian Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Galuzin on Thursday offered flowers at a memorial epitaph in the park and told reporters his country would never use nuclear weapons.

Mari Yamaguchi, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Aug. 2022 Which might as well be Donald Trump’s petulant political epitaph.

Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 22 July 2022 Its epitaph might read: Here lay the waters of Lake Mead.

John Locher, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2022 Its epitaph might read: Here lay the waters of Lake Mead.

John Locher, The Arizona Republic, 11 July 2022 Centuries after Diophantus’s death, the grammarian Metrodorus wrote an epitaph that both described the mathematician’s life and revealed his age—evidently a long-standing mystery.

Richard Malena, Popular Mechanics, 7 July 2022 Based on a pair of wild weekends in the desert, the two-part article was a freewheeling epitaph for the 1960s counterculture.

Peter Richardson, The New Republic, 28 Jan. 2022 How about this as a potential epitaph to Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger's career: In 18 NFL seasons, he's never finished below .500, a league record for a player.

Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2022 See More

单词	epitaphial
释义	epitaph noun ep·i·taph ˈe-pə-ˌtaf 1 : an inscription on or at a tomb or a grave in memory of the one buried there 2 : a brief statement commemorating or epitomizing a deceased person or something past epitaphial ˌe-pə-ˈta-fē-əl adjective epitaphic ˌe-pə-ˈta-fik adjective Did you know? An inscription on a tomb is an epitaph, as is, by extension, anything written as if to be inscribed on a tomb. Probably the earliest surviving epitaphs are those written on ancient Egyptian sarcophagi and coffins. In Elizabethan times, epitaphs became much more common in English. Many of the best known are literary memorials (often deliberately witty) not intended for a tomb. Benjamin Franklin’s epitaph for himself plays on his trade as a printer, hoping that he will “appear once more in a new and more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by the Author.” The 20th-century writer and wit Dorothy Parker’s suggested epitaphs include “I told you I was sick” and “If you can read this, you’re standing too close.” Example Sentences The epitaph reads “In loving memory of John Gray: husband, father, soldier.” Recent Examples on the Web Johnson’s political epitaph could hardly have been more eloquently written. Fintan O’toole, The New York Review of Books, 7 Sep. 2022 Russian Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Galuzin on Thursday offered flowers at a memorial epitaph in the park and told reporters his country would never use nuclear weapons. Mari Yamaguchi, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Aug. 2022 Which might as well be Donald Trump’s petulant political epitaph. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 22 July 2022 Its epitaph might read: Here lay the waters of Lake Mead. John Locher, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2022 Its epitaph might read: Here lay the waters of Lake Mead. John Locher, The Arizona Republic, 11 July 2022 Centuries after Diophantus’s death, the grammarian Metrodorus wrote an epitaph that both described the mathematician’s life and revealed his age—evidently a long-standing mystery. Richard Malena, Popular Mechanics, 7 July 2022 Based on a pair of wild weekends in the desert, the two-part article was a freewheeling epitaph for the 1960s counterculture. Peter Richardson, The New Republic, 28 Jan. 2022 How about this as a potential epitaph to Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger's career: In 18 NFL seasons, he's never finished below .500, a league record for a player. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Middle English epitaphe, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin epitaphium, from Latin, funeral oration, from Greek epitaphion, from epi- + taphos tomb, funeral First Known Use 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Kids Definition epitaph noun ep·i·taph ˈe-pə-ˌtaf : a brief statement on a tombstone in memory of a dead person epitaphial adjective as in epitaphic Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance epitaphic memorial honorary commemorative commemorating memorializing testimonial dedicatory exalting enshrining canonizing glorifying
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epitaph

noun

Did you know?

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

noun

adjective