/dɜːdʒ/, /dɝd͡ʒ/
OriginFrom Middle English dirige, from Latin dirige (“steer, direct”), from the beginning of the first antiphon in matins for the dead, Dirige, Domine, deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam. Doublet of dirige.
- A mournful poem or piece of music composed or performed as a memorial to a deceased person.
“Therefore our ſometimes Siſter, now our Queen, / Th’ imperiall Ioyntreſſe of this warlike State, / Haue we, as ’twere, with a defeated ioy, / With one Auſpicious, and one Dropping eye, / With mirth in”
“While I watched the tempest, so beautiful yet terrific, I wandered on with a hasty step. This noble war in the sky elevated my spirits; I clasped my hands, and exclaimed aloud, “William, dear angel! t”
“It was as if the night sang dirges with clenched teeth.”
- informalA song or piece of music that is considered too slow, bland or boring.
Formsdirges(plural) · dirges(present, singular, third-person) · dirging(participle, present) · dirged(participle, past) · dirged(past)