eulogy
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English
[edit]
Etymology
[edit]From Middle English wloge (“commendation of the virtues of a deceased person”),[1] from Latin eulogium,[2][3] apparently from a confusion between ēlogium (whence English elogium, elogy) and eulogia (from Ancient Greek εὐλογία (eulogía, “praise”), whence English eulogia); equivalent to eu- + logia ("good words"). Doublet of eulogium.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]eulogy (plural eulogies)
- An oration to honor a deceased person, usually at a funeral.
- Speaking highly of someone or something; the act of praising or commending someone or something.
- 1859, Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White[1]:
- It was the prettiest and most luxurious little sitting-room I had ever seen; and I admired it with the warmest enthusiasm. The solemn servant was far too highly trained to betray the slightest satisfaction. He bowed with icy deference when my terms of eulogy were all exhausted, and silently opened the door for me to go out into the passage again.
- 2013 August 14, Daniel Taylor, The Guardian[2]:
- The Southampton striker, who also struck a post late on, was being serenaded by the Wembley crowd before the end and should probably brace himself for some Lambert-mania over the coming days but, amid the eulogies, it should not overlook the deficiencies that were evident in another stodgy England performance.
Usage notes
[edit]Because the words eulogy and elegy sound and look similar and both concern speeches or poems associated with someone's death and funeral, they are easily confused. A simple key to remembering the difference is that an elegy is chiefly about lamenting whereas a eulogy is chiefly about praising (and eu- = "good").
Synonyms
[edit]Antonyms
[edit]Coordinate terms
[edit]- dirge, elegy, threnody – funeral song
- homily – funeral oration by clergy
- requiem – music played at a mass to honor a deceased person
Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]an oration to honor a deceased person
|
high praise or recommendation
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References
[edit]- ^ “euloǧē, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
- ^ “eulogy, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “eulogy (n.)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms prefixed with eu-
- English doublets
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- en:Funeral