Main Entry: ele·gi·ac

Pronunciation: \ˌe-lə-ˈjī-ək, -ˌak also i-ˈlē-jē-ˌak\

Variant(s): also el·e·gi·a·cal \ˌe-lə-ˈjī-ə-kəl\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Late Latin elegiacus, from Greek elegeiakos, from elegeion

Date: 1542

1 a : of, relating to, or consisting of two dactylic hexameter lines the second of which lacks the arsis in the third and sixth feet b (1) : written in or consisting of elegiac couplets (2) : noted for having written poetry in such couplets c : of or relating to the period in Greece about the seventh century b.c. when poetry written in such couplets flourished
2 : of, relating to, or comprising elegy or an elegy; especially : expressing sorrow often for something now past <an elegiac lament for departed youth>

— elegiac noun

— el·e·gi·a·cal·ly \ˌe-lə-ˈjī-ə-k(ə-)lē\ adverb