Etymologically
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epitaph

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɛp.ɪˌtɑːf/ (UK); /ˈɛp.ɪˌtæf/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English epitaphe, epitaf,[2][3] borrowed from Old French epitaphe, Medieval Latin epitaphium,[4][2][5][3] from Latin epitaphium (“funeral oration, eulogy”),[2][5][3] from Ancient Greek ἐπιτάφιον (epitáphion, “funeral oration”), neuter of ἐπιτάφιος (epitáphios, “at a tomb or funeral”),[4][2][5][6] from ἐπί (epí, “at, over”) (see epi-) and τάφος (táphos, “tomb, funeral”).[4][2][5][6] The Greek noun is related to θάπτειν (tháptein, “to bury”).[5][7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

An inscription on a tomb (before 1338 in Barnhart; 1387 in the OED; mid-14th century in Etymonline).[2][9][5]

Semantic evolution

The Greek word meant words spoken at a funeral;[5][2] in English it came to mean what is written on a tomb.[9][5] It was also occasionally a short composition describing the dead person, written as if to be inscribed.[9][10] Figuratively it is a brief statement summing up something past (1847),[9][3] or a final judgment on a person or thing.[11] The verb, to write an epitaph on, is from 1592.[9]

Timeline

  • before 1338 – epitaf, a tomb inscription.[2]
  • 1387 – first quotation in the OED.[9]
  • 1592 – verb, to write an epitaph on.[9]
  • 1847 – figurative use.[9]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An inscription on a tombstone or monument in memory of the person buried there.
  2. A short poem or other writing in praise or memory of a dead person.
  3. A brief statement summing up something past; a final judgment.

Verb

  1. To commemorate in an epitaph.

Word family

  • epitaphic
  • epitaphial
  • epitaphist

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  7. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ Partridge, Eric (1966), Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, 4th ed., London: Routledge & Kegan Paul
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  10. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  11. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins