[ep.i.taph] n [ME epitaphe, fr. MF & ML; MF, fr. ML epitaphium, fr. L, funeral oration, fr. Gk epitaphion, fr. epi- + taphos tomb, funeral] (14c) 1: an inscription on or at a tomb or a grave in memory of the one buried there
2: a brief statement commemorating or epitomizing a deceased person or something past -- ep.i.taph.ial adj -- ep.i.taph.ic adj