A dirge is a somber song expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral. The English word "dirge" is derived from the Latin Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam ("Direct my way in your sight, O Lord my God"), the first words of the first antiphon in the Matins of the Office for the Dead. The original meaning of "dirge" in English referred to this office.
Examples of dirges include:
The roo...
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A dirge is a somber song expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral. The English word "dirge" is derived from the Latin Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam ("Direct my way in your sight, O Lord my God"), the first words of the first antiphon in the Matins of the Office for the Dead. The original meaning of "dirge" in English referred to this office.
Examples of dirges include:
The root of "dirge", meaning to direct, is the same as the root of the "dirigible" ("steerable") Airship. The two diverse English words would come together in 1937 as a result of the Hindenburg disaster.
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