A
dirge is a somber
song or lament expressing
mourning or
grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a
funeral. The English word
dirge is
derived from the
Latin Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam ("Direct my way in your sight, O Lord my God"), the first words of the first
antiphon in the
Matins of the
Office for the Dead, created on basis of (5:9 in Vulgate). The original meaning of
dirge in English referred to this office.