dirge

noun

ˈdərj 

1

: a song or hymn of grief or lamentation

especially : one intended to accompany funeral or memorial rites

a funeral dirge

2

: a slow, solemn, and mournful piece of music

3

: something (such as a poem) that has the qualities of a dirge

dirgelike

ˈdərj-ˌlīk 

adjective

Did you know?

The meaning of English dirge is not directly related to the meaning of the Latin word it comes from. Dirge and its earlier form dirige, meaning "a song or hymn of mourning," come from the first word of a Latin chant used in the church service for the dead: "Dirige, Domine deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam." (Direct, O Lord my God, my way in thy sight). Because hymns and chants were often referred to by their first words, dirge became the common word for this chant. Later it was used for any slow, solemn piece of music.

Synonyms

• lament
• elegy
• requiem

Examples of dirge in a Sentence

bagpipes played a haunting dirge at the funeral for the fallen leader

Recent Examples on the Web

After learning of the loss of the iron ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior and the deaths of all 29 crew members from Newsweek, Gord lifted passages from the article and put them to a dreamy dirge: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. —Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025

Though it was written around the time of Malibu’s Woolsey fire, the 14-minute long dirge that encompasses flames in Malibu and a cougar that roams the hills took on a new and sinister meaning in the aftermath of the more recent fires. —Chris Willman, Variety, 19 May 2025

It’s remained in the company’s repertoire for decades, and the use of Coltrane’s elegy for the love of her life has made that music into two dirges, one for husband John Coltrane and another for the woman on the invisible mourner’s bench honoring and channeling him for the rest of her days. —Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025

Over time, dirge came to mean a funeral song or lament. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dirige, the Office of the Dead, from the first word of a Late Latin antiphon, from Latin, imperative of dirigere to direct — more at dress

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dirge

• merge
• purge
• scourge
• serge
• splurge
• spurge
• sturge
• surge
• urge
• verge
• converge
• diverge

Kids Definition

dirge

noun

ˈdərj 

: a song or hymn of mourning

especially : one intended for funeral or memorial ceremonies

Etymology

Middle English dirige "service performed when someone dies," from Latin dirige "direct," first word in a prayer for the dead, from earlier dirigere "to direct"

Word Origin

The meaning of English dirge is not directly related to the meaning of the Latin word it comes from. Dirge and its earlier form dirige, meaning "a song or hymn of mourning," come from the first word of a Latin chant used in the church service for the dead: "Dirige, Domine deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam" (Direct, O Lord my God, my way in thy sight). Because hymns and chants were often referred to by their first words, dirge became the common word for this chant. Later it was used for a slow, solemn hymn of mourning.