obituary

[oh-bich-oo-er-ee] /oʊˈbɪtʃ uˌɛr i/

noun, plural obituaries.

a notice of the death of a person, often with a biographical sketch, as in a newspaper.

adjective

of, pertaining to, or recording a death or deaths:

the obituary page of a newspaper.

Origin

1700-10; < Medieval Latin obituārius, equivalent to Latin obitu(s) death (see obit) + -ārius -ary

Related forms

obituarist, noun

Examples from the web for obituary

Not much depth to their obituary of a rare human being.
Similarly, it was clear that the public option was dead long before its obituary ran.
Read an historical obituary or a celebrity obituary.
But it may be too early to write the industry's obituary.
By the time this obituary appears he will have gone under the knife again, this time for an autopsy.

British Dictionary definitions for obituary

obituary

/əˈbɪtjʊərɪ/

noun (pl) -aries

a published announcement of a death, often accompanied by a short biography of the dead person

Derived Forms

obituarist, noun

Word Origin

C18: from Medieval Latin obituārius, from Latin obīre to fall, from ob- down + īre to go

Word Origin and History for obituary

1706, "register of deaths," from Medieval Latin obituarius "a record of the death of a person," literally "pertaining to death," from Latin obitus "departure, a going to meet, encounter" (a euphemism for "death"), from stem of obire "go toward, go to meet" (as in mortem obire "meet death"), from ob "to, toward" (see ob-) + ire "to go" (see ion). Meaning "record or announcement of a death, especially in a newspaper, and including a brief biographical sketch" is from 1738. As an adjective from 1828. A similar euphemism is in Old English cognate forðfaran "to die," literally "to go forth;" utsið "death," literally "going out, departure."