[dirge] n [ME dirige, the Office of the Dead, fr. the first word of a LL antiphon, fr. L, imper. of dirigere to direct--more at dress] (13c) 1: a song or hymn of grief or lamentation; esp: one intended to accompany funeral or memorial rites
2: a slow, solemn, and mournful piece of music
3: something (as a poem) that has the qualities of a dirge -- dirge.like adj