elegy

From Middle French elegie, from Latin elegīa, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ἐλεγείᾱ (elegeíā), ellipsis of ἐλεγείᾱ ᾠδή (elegeíā ōidḗ, “an elegiac song”).

• (General American, Received Pronunciation, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈɛlɪd͡ʒi/
• Hyphenation: el‧e‧gy

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elegy (plural elegies)

1. A mournful or plaintive poem; a funeral song; a poem of lamentation. [from early 16th c.]
2. (music) A composition of mournful character.
3. A classical poem written in elegiac meter

Because the words elegy and eulogy 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").

• See dirge

• requiem – a piece of music played at a mass for the dead

• James A. H. Murray [et al.], editors (1884–1928), “Elegy”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume III (D–E), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 82, column 1.

• lyege

First attested in 1508. Back-formation from elegyít, elegyedik, or obsolete elegyül.^[1]

• IPA^(key): [ˈɛlɛɟ]
• Hyphenation: elegy
• Rhymes: -ɛɟ

elegy (plural elegyek)

1. (chemistry and figuratively) mixture

   Synonym: keverék

Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	elegy	elegyek
accusative	elegyet	elegyeket
dative	elegynek	elegyeknek
instrumental	eleggyel	elegyekkel
causal-final	elegyért	elegyekért
translative	eleggyé	elegyekké
terminative	elegyig	elegyekig
essive-formal	elegyként	elegyekként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	elegyben	elegyekben
superessive	elegyen	elegyeken
adessive	elegynél	elegyeknél
illative	elegybe	elegyekbe
sublative	elegyre	elegyekre
allative	elegyhez	elegyekhez
elative	elegyből	elegyekből
delative	elegyről	elegyekről
ablative	elegytől	elegyektől
non-attributive possessive - singular	elegyé	elegyeké
non-attributive possessive - plural	elegyéi	elegyekéi

Possessive forms of elegy
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	elegyem	elegyeim
2nd person sing.	elegyed	elegyeid
3rd person sing.	elegye	elegyei
1st person plural	elegyünk	elegyeink
2nd person plural	elegyetek	elegyeitek
3rd person plural	elegyük	elegyeik

• elegy in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• elegy in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).