28 September 2015
elegiac
[el-i-jahy-uh k, -ak, ih-lee-jee-ak]
adjective, Also, elegiacal
1. used in, suitable for, or resembling an elegy (a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead).
2. expressing sorrow or lamentation:
elegiac strains.
3. Classical Prosody. noting a distich or couplet the first line of which is a dactylic hexameter and the second a pentameter, or a verse differing from the hexameter by suppression of the arsis or metrically unaccented part of the third and the sixth foot.
noun
4. an elegiac or distich verse.
5. a poem in such distichs or verses.
Origin of elegiac
Middle French, Latin, Greek
1575-1585; (< Middle French) < Latin elegīacus < Greek elegeiakós. See elegy, -ac
Related forms
elegiacally, adverb
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for elegiac
A media flurry of last interviews and elegiac articles followed.
ABC, Fiona Gruber, 25 September 2015, ‘A late afternoon with Clive James’, http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/booksandarts/a-late-afternoon-with-author-and-broadcaster-clive-james/6797740.
Contemporary Examples
The Rum Diary came from those six months in Puerto Rico in 1960, and is the basis of an elegiac new film starring Johnny Depp.
Inside ‘The Rum Diary’
William McKeen
November 3, 2011
But he is one of the best deadline artists in the business, and his series on the dying of his father was unflinching and elegiac.
John Avlon’s Picks for 12 Best Opinion Columns of 2012
John Avlon
December 30, 2012
Six Feet Under ended its six-season run with perhaps the most elegiac, moving final scene a series has ever produced.
‘Breaking Bad’ and TV’s Five Most Shocking Flash-Forward Scenes
Kevin Fallon
August 11, 2013
Anagram
lie cage
gale ice
Today’s quote
He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.
– Confucius
On this day
28 September 551BC – birth of Confucius, Chinese teacher and philosopher, founder of Confucianism. Died 479BC.
28 September 1330 – birth of Nicholas Flamel, French alchemist who purportedly made it his life’s work to decode a mysterious book, known as Book of Abramelin the Mage. Some believe he decoded the recipe for the Philosopher’s Stone, which could turn base metals into silver and gold, and was said to be the elixir of life. Died 22 March 1418(?) He was seen at least 3 times after his death, which led to rumour that he had produced the elixir of life and was therefore immortal. He has been immortalised in numerous books and movies, including ‘Harry Potter‘ by J.K. Rowling, and the ‘Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel‘ series by Michael Scott.
28 September 1864 – The birth of Revolutionary Marxism following a meeting at St Martin’s Hall in London of delegates from different countries in an effort to unify the various left-wing groups comprised of communists, socialists, anarchists and trade unionists. The meeting resulted in the founding of the International Workingmen’s Association or First International. The First International was headquartered in London and directed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels who had long stated that the working class struggle had to be supported internationally or would fail.
28 September 1872 – birth of David Uniapon, indigenous preacher, author and inventor. He is on the Australian $50 note. David influenced government decision making regarding aboriginal issues and invented a hand-piece for shearing sheep. Died 7 February 1967.
28 September 1895 – death of Louis Pasteur, French bacteriologist, one of the founders of microbiology. Invented the process for preventing milk and wine from causing sickness, known as pasteurisation. (Not entirely fool-proof, as over-imbibing wine still seems to cause sickness in some). Born 27 December 1822.
28 September 1967 – birth of Moon Unit Zappa, American musician. Son of legendary musician, Frank Zappa.