elegiac

Elegiac is an adjective that describes something relating to an elegy—a poem or song lamenting loss, death, or mourning. In a broader sense, it can describe a mood that is mournful, reflective, or melancholic. The word derives from the Greek elegos, meaning "song of lament," and entered Latin as elegiacus before circulating in English. Historically, "elegy" originally referred to a specific type of poem in ancient Greek and Latin literature, not just any sad verse.

In classical literature, the term "elegiac" most often refers to the elegiac couplet, a two-line metrical unit consisting of a line in dactylic hexameter followed by a line in dactylic pentameter. The form was employed by Greek poets for a range of themes, and was adapted by Roman poets such as Tibullus, Propertius, and Ovid for love, loss, and memory. Although associated with the meter, the essential character of the elegy is its lamenting or meditative content. Over time, the strict metrical form became less central, while the lamenting quality endured as the core sense of elegiac poetry.

In modern usage, "elegiac" describes works that evoke mourning, memory, or the passage of time, regardless of whether they follow the ancient meter. It is commonly used to describe poems or prose with a somber, reflective tone. Notable English-language examples include Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, which is frequently characterized as elegiac in mood. The term remains a literary category for works that blend retrospection with lamentation.