obsequies
See also: obsequiés
English
Etymology
Plural of obsequy; from Middle English obsequias, obsequies, obsequyes, from Latin obsequiae.
Noun
obsequies pl (plural only)
- (plural only) Funeral rites.
- 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XIX, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 163:
- A murmur of astonishment ran through the chapel. It was hushed instantly, for, at a sign from Lord Avonleigh, the coffin was carried into the vault; and again the voice of the priest was the only sound, breathing the last and solemn benediction of the mournful obsequies.
Usage notes
- the plural only usage is favored by the Oxford Dictionary,[1] and thus can be considered to be British, whereas Webster's dictionary, with prevalence of the usage in the plural being noted, gives both singular and plural forms of the word.[2][3]
- in modern usage, not to be confused with obsequious
Translations
funeral rites
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References
- obsequies ('obsequy' not listed). Oxford Dictionaries Online, Oxford University Press
- “obsequy”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- obsequy. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
- The Pocket Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus. American Edition. Oxford University Press, 1997
- Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language. Random House, 1996.
Anagrams
Portuguese
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /obˈsekjes/ [oβ̞ˈse.kjes]
- Rhymes: -ekjes
- Syllabification: ob‧se‧quies
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