epitaph

[ep-i-taf, -tahf] /ˈɛp ɪˌtæf, -ˌtɑf/
noun
1.
a commemorative inscription on a tomb or mortuary monument about the person buried at that site.
2.
a brief poem or other writing in praise of a deceased person.
verb (used with object)
3.
to commemorate in or with an epitaph.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English epitaphe < Latin epitaphium < Greek epitáphion over or at a tomb, equivalent to epi- epi- + táph(os) tomb + -ion noun, adj. suffix
Related forms
epitaphic
[ep-i-taf-ik] /ˌɛp ɪˈtæf ɪk/ (Show IPA), adjective
epitaphist, noun
epitaphless, adjective
unepitaphed, adjective
Can be confused
epigram, epigraph, epitaph, epithet.
Examples from the web for epitaph
  • Young or old, death awaits us all, and the epitaph-writer knows it.
  • This book is a worthy epitaph to a vibrant woman.
  • It seemed an appropriate epitaph for an obsolescent merchandising trend.
  • Most carved epitaphs ignore punctuation.
  • Most of us would prefer a more generous epitaph when we leave this world.
  • So this handsome book is both the biography of a remarkable German grandee and an epitaph for an era.
  • It will do as an epitaph until history comes up with something better.
  • But don't start chiseling that epitaph into granite.
  • It makes for a striking epitaph.
  • He died at 37 and will never have a proper epitaph until a cure is finally found for the disease that bears his name.
British Dictionary definitions for epitaph

epitaph

/ˈɛpɪˌtɑːf; -ˌtæf/
noun
1.
a commemorative inscription on a tombstone or monument
2.
a speech or written passage composed in commemoration of a dead person
3.
a final judgment on a person or thing
Derived Forms
epitaphic (ˌɛpɪˈtæfɪk) adjective
epitaphist, noun
Word Origin
C14: via Latin from Greek epitaphion, from epitaphios over a tomb, from epi- + taphos tomb
Word Origin and History for epitaph
n.

mid-14c., from Old French epitaphe (12c.) and directly from Medieval Latin epitaphium "funeral oration, eulogy," from Greek epitaphion "a funeral oration," noun use of neuter of epitaphos "of a funeral," from epi "at, over" (see epi-) + taphos "tomb, funeral rites," from PIE root *dhembh- "to bury." Among the Old English equivalents was byrgelsleoð.