threnody
/ˈθɹɛn.ə.di/
"threnody" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“threnody” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A song or poem of lamentation or mourning for a dead person; a dirge; an elegy.
Corpus desk
Index EN-threnody · threnody · English
threnody · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "T" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | threnody |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈθɹɛn.ə.di/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “threnody” in English
Rare enough to double-check
threnody is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈθɹɛn.ə.di/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A song or poem of lamentation or mourning for a dead person; a dirge; an elegy.".
Zero misspellings are on record for threnody in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek θρηνῳδία (thrēnōidía, “lamentation”). Compare the New Latin thrēnōdia. The correct English form is threnody, spelled T-H-R-E-N-O-D-Y.
Definition
- 1A song or poem of lamentation or mourning for a dead person; a dirge; an elegy.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how threnody appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The fifer actually knew but one tune "The Bonnie Blue Flag"—and did not know that well. But it was all that he had, and he played it with wearisome monotony for every camp call. . . . I never hated any piece of music as I came to hate that threnody of treason.
A strongly personal note runs through Kenneth Leighton's Improvisation (Novello, 35p), which is a threnody in memory of Maurice de Sausmārez. Gently undulating, cantabile lines of ‘mourning’ alternate with sharp, anguished note-clusters which work up to a fierce paroxysm of grief.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek θρηνῳδία (thrēnōidía, “lamentation”). Compare the New Latin thrēnōdia.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.