elegiac

adjective

ele·gi·ac | \ ˌe-lə-ˈjī-ək

, -ˌak also i-ˈlē-jē-ˌak\

variants: or less commonly elegiacal \ ˌe-lə-ˈjī-ə-kəl

Definition of elegiac

1a : of, relating to, or consisting of two dactylic hexameter lines the second of which lacks the arsis in the third and sixth feet

b(1) : written in or consisting of elegiac couplets

(2) : noted for having written poetry in such couplets

c : of or relating to the period in Greece about the seventh century b.c. when poetry written in such couplets flourished

2 : of, relating to, or comprising elegy or an elegy especially : expressing sorrow often for something now past an elegiac lament for departed youth