Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A funeral rite or ceremony.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A funeral rite or ceremony.
  • noun Ready compliance; deferential service; obsequiousness.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The last duty or service to a person, rendered after his death; hence, a rite or ceremony pertaining to burial; -- now used only in the plural.
  • noun obsolete Obsequiousness.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The last office for the dead
  • noun A funeral rite or service.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English obsequi, from Old French obseque, from Medieval Latin obsequiae, alteration (influenced by Latin exsequiae, funeral rites) of Latin obsequia, pl. of obsequium, compliance, dutiful service; see obsequious.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin obsequiī ("complaisant, yielding"), alteration of obsequia ("compliance") (by confusion, in association with exsequia ("funeral rites"), from exsequī ("follow or accompany to the grave")).

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