Word of the Day

: May 31, 2021

elegiac

adjective el-uh-JYE-ak

What It Means

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

elegiac in Context

"And so 'Names of Horses,' a very different but also elegiac poem, with its litany of remembered farm animals' names, helped lead to 'Names of My Mother's Friends'…, with its litany of women's names of a previous generation, and its tribute to names and ways of life that have passed out of currency." — Judy Kronenfeld, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California), 3 Apr. 2021

"The novel is elegiac in a way, but it's also a celebration of the city's artistic spirit. Looking back gives us an opportunity to think how we can bring that spirit back because it's been such a vital part of our history and who we are." — Jasmin Darznik, quoted in The San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2021

Did You Know?

Elegiac was borrowed into English in the 16th century from Late Latin elagiacus, which in turn derives from Greek elegeiakos. Elegeiakos traces back to the Greek word for "elegiac couplet," which was elegeion. It is no surprise, then, that the earliest meaning of elegiac referred to such poetic couplets. These days, of course, the word is also used to describe anything sorrowful or nostalgic. As you may have guessed, another descendant of elegeion in English is elegy, which in its oldest sense refers to a poem in elegiac couplets, and now can equally refer to a somewhat broader range of laments for something or someone that is now lost.