Dirge (noun)
dur-j
A lament for the dead, especially one forming part of a funeral rite.
A mournful song, piece of music, or sound.
Middle English (denoting the Office for the Dead): from Latin dirige! (imperative) ‘direct!’, the first word of an antiphon (Ps. 5:8) formerly used in the Latin Office for the Dead.
Example sentences
“Danny Boy is probably the best known funeral dirge.”
“The wind howled it’s sorrowful dirge through the chimney.”
Wonky (adj) won-kee Not straight or balanced, off kilter. First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps variant of dialectal wanky, equivalent to wank(le) ( Middle English wankel, Old English wancol. (more…)
