thren·o·dy \ˈthre-nə-dē\ (noun)

a song, hymn or poem of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person. The term originates from the Greek word threnoidia, from threnos ( “wailing”) + oide (“ode”); ultimately, from the Proto-Indo-European root wed- (“to speak”) that is also the precursor of such words as “ode”, “tragedy”, “comedy”, “parody”, “melody” and “rhapsody”. Synonyms include “dirge”, “coronach”, “lament” and “elegy”. (Ye olde Wikipedia)

Of the synonyms, I particularly like coronach (Gaelic/Irish in origin, the “ch” at the end is pronounced like something caught in the throat, not like a “k” or “tch”).

I’m not even sure where I got the bloody word, chances are in some book I was reading at the time (according to goodreads, the most likely suspect is Hitch-22 by Christopher Hitchens). Guess I should put that in the draft when I’m not going to write the post immediately.

Fun Fact!

Threnody is also an X-Men character. (She needs a shirt that fits properly. She must get cold.)

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