obituary

Etymology

From Medieval Latin obituarius, from Latin obitus (“a going to a place, approach, usually a going down, setting (as of the sun), fall, ruin, death”), from obire (“to go or come to, usually go down, set, fall, perish, die”), from ob (“toward, to”) + ire (“to go”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈbɪtjʊəɹɪ/, /əʊ̯ˈbɪtjʊəɹɪ/, /əˈbɪtjʊəɹiː/, /əʊ̯ˈbɪtjʊəɹiː/

Noun

obituary (plural obituaries)

1. A brief notice of a person’s death, as published in a newspaper.
2. A biography of a recently deceased person, written by a journalist and published in a newspaper.
3. A register of deaths in a monastery.

Adjective

obituary (not comparable)

1. Relating to the death of a person.

Further reading

• obituary in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• obituary in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• obituary at OneLook Dictionary Search