requiem

Noun
Synonyms: dirgecoronachlamentthrenodyRequiem

WordNet 3.0

Noun (3)

  1. a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead personSynonyms: dirgecoronachlamentthrenody
  2. a musical setting for a Mass celebrating the deadSynonyms: Requiem
  3. a Mass celebrated for the deadSynonyms: Requiem
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Requiem \Re"qui*em\ (r?"kw?-?m;277), n. [Acc. of L. requies rest, the first words of the Mass being "Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine," give eternal rest to them, O lord; pref. re- re + quies quiet. See Quiet, n., and cf. Requin.]

1.(R.C.Ch.) A mass said or sung for the repose of a departed soul. [1913 Webster]

We should profane the service of the dead To sing a requiem and such rest to her As to peace-parted souls.— Shak.[1913 Webster]

2.Any grand musical composition, performed in honor of a deceased person. [1913 Webster]

3.Rest; quiet; peace. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

Else had I an eternal requiem kept, And in the arms of peace forever slept.— Sandys.[1913 Webster]

The Devil's Dictionary

REQUIEM, n. A mass for the dead which the minor poets assure us the winds sing o'er the graves of their favorites. Sometimes, by way of providing a varied entertainment, they sing a dirge.
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