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 Middle East’s return to repression provides a tragic epitaph to the post-9/11 era. —Shadi Hamid, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2021

The federal government is paralyzed by far-right and far-left politicians and their followers who stand screaming epitaphs at each other, while the great majority of Americans in the middle are too cowed to tell them to sit down and shut up so more reasonable people can get something done. —Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 17 Feb. 2024

The 7-year-old saw granite and marble headstones jutting out from the grass near other graves, inscribed with epitaphs. —Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

The tombstones were engraved with names, epitaphs and verses from the Quran, according to experts. —Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 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