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Literature vocabulary · Poetry

Elegy

Meaning in literature, with examples

nounCommon term

In literature, elegy means: A poem, or sometimes another literary work, that mourns a death or reflects deeply on loss, memory, and grief.

In Turkish: ağıt

How it is used

Used mainly in poetry studies, but also for prose works with a sustained mourning tone. Often linked with reflection, remembrance, and formal sorrow.

Example sentences

  1. For the memorial issue, the magazine printed an elegy that remembered the translator's quiet influence on three generations of readers.

    Here elegy refers to a commemorative poem of mourning, written to honor the dead while reflecting on lasting cultural loss.

  2. During seminar discussion, we compared the war elegy with the son's personal diary to see how grief changes literary form.

    In this sentence, elegy identifies a text shaped by mourning, not just any sad writing or emotional recollection.

Common collocations

  • funeral elegy
  • pastoral elegy
  • write an elegy
  • elegiac tone
  • poetryLiterary writing arranged in lines that uses rhythm, sound, imagery and often rhyme to express feelings and ideas in a concentrated way.
  • poemA single piece of writing in lines, often with a regular rhythm or rhyme, that expresses an experience, feeling or idea through carefully chosen language.

More terms: Poetry

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