dirge
8
8.2
- noun
- /dɜrdʒ/
:
réquiem
- At the funeral, the choir sang a beautiful dirge that moved everyone to tears.
- a funeral dirge
The landscape song of bondage dirge in the river's throat where it churns into the Gulf Wind, in trees choked with vines.
- The landscape song of bondage dirge in the river's throat where it churns into the Gulf Wind, in trees choked with vines.
Examples
-
I laid no roses at her head, nor sang a dirge to mourn.
Fiction book (2000) -
And those who fear life have already begun playing the empty notes of their funeral dirge.
-
Sounds like a funeral dirge.
-
Perhaps, Angus thought, he would play the pipes tonight, a dirge for the two who had died.
Fiction book (1994) -
The wind, the voice of the cold, echoed its dirge in the chimney.
Fiction book (1990) -
Traditionally, this is the time when funeral dirges in 4/4 tempo dominate the musical selections.
Academic text (2012) -
The funeral dirges of all sorts were uttered in a thunderous, heart-melting outcry.
Fiction book (1991) -
The somber melody of the dirge filled the air as the procession made its way to the cemetery.
-
During the memorial service, a haunting dirge played in honor of the departed.
Synonyms
17
6.1
A sad song, poem, or cry that shows grief
10
8.9
A musical piece sung at a funeral to honor the dead
6
8.1
A poem or song that shows sorrow for someone who has died
1
3.5
Slow, sad music played during a funeral procession
1
3.2
Music that people play at a funeral to remember someone, usually slow and sad
1
9.9
A song or poem that expresses sadness for someone who has died
A sad song sung at a funeral to honor the dead
Antonyms
How Mournful
Surface Forms
Etymology
Dirge comes from an old church word dirige, the first word of a Latin prayer that means 'direct' or 'guide' and is the same root as direct. That prayer was often sung for the dead, so dirge came to mean a slow, sad song at funerals.