Definitions

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

  • noun A funeral rite or ceremony.

from The Century Dictionary.

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

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")).

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word obsequy.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.