epitaph

noun

ep·​i·​taph ˈe-pə-ˌtaf 

1

: an inscription on or at a tomb or a grave in memory of the one buried there

2

: a brief statement commemorating or epitomizing a deceased person or something past

epitaphial

ˌe-pə-ˈta-fē-əl 

adjective

epitaphic

ˌe-pə-ˈta-fik 

adjective

Did you know?

An inscription on a tomb is an epitaph, as is, by extension, anything written as if to be inscribed on a tomb. Probably the earliest surviving epitaphs are those written on ancient Egyptian sarcophagi and coffins. In Elizabethan times, epitaphs became much more common in English. Many of the best known are literary memorials (often deliberately witty) not intended for a tomb. Benjamin Franklin’s epitaph for himself plays on his trade as a printer, hoping that he will “appear once more in a new and more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by the Author.” The 20th-century writer and wit Dorothy Parker’s suggested epitaphs include “I told you I was sick” and “If you can read this, you’re standing too close.”

Examples of epitaph in a Sentence

The epitaph reads “In loving memory of John Gray: husband, father, soldier.”

Recent Examples on the Web

The black-and-white clip featured the late John Belushi, dressed as an old man, walking around a graveyard memorializing his co-stars with goofy, sardonic epitaphs; Belushi, of course, preceded most of them in death, giving the comedy a somber tone. —Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2025

Accordingly, the United States’ incremental, long-term rebalance to the Asia-Pacific (which still continues slowly on course) is an example of Obama’s strategic patience at work, no matter how many times Washington’s chattering class eagerly pens its epitaph. —Janine Davidson, Foreign Affairs, 2 Mar. 2015

In retrospect, however, Obama’s speech looks less like the dawn of a new era than an epitaph for a brief period of hope that was rapidly coming to an end. —Joshua Keating, Vox, 15 Jan. 2025

The Romans annexed what is now the south of France—where modern Vence lies, just west of the Italian border—in 125 B.C.E. The ancient Romans have a reputation for detailed epitaphs. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English epitaphe, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin epitaphium, from Latin, funeral oration, from Greek epitaphion, from epi- + taphos tomb, funeral

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

epitaph

noun

ep·​i·​taph ˈep-ə-ˌtaf 

: something written (as on a gravestone) in memory of a dead person