Words & WritingGreek → English
Eulogy
/ˈjuːlədʒi/noun
A speech or piece of writing praising someone, usually delivered at a funeral.
The Greek roots
εὖ
eû
well, good
λόγος
lógos
word, speech
Literally: “good speaking”
The story of the word
Greek εὐλογία meant praise or a blessing, with nothing funereal about it, and Christian Greek used it for the blessing over bread. The narrowing to funeral speech happened in English, helped along by confusion with Latin elogium, an inscription on a tomb. Modern Greek still uses ευλογία for a blessing given by a priest.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → English
- First recorded
- 15th century
Same family
euphemismeucharistlogicapology
In a sentence
His brother wrote the eulogy on the train and read it without notes.