Word.ws English Dictionary

obsequies

UK/ˈɒbsəkwiːz/

obsequies noun: funeral rites. Also the plural of obsequy.

Noun

obsequies pl (plural only)

  1. (plural, plural-only) Funeral rites.
    • A murmur of astonishment ran through the chapel. It was hushed instantly, for, at a sign from Lord Avonleigh, the coffin was carried into the vault; and again the voice of the priest was the only sound, breathing the last and solemn benediction of the mournful obsequies.1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XIX, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 163

Also used as

obsequies is also the plural of obsequy.

obsequies is also the plural of obsequie.

Origin of obsequies

Plural of obsequy; from Middle English obsequias, obsequies, obsequyes, from Latin obsequiae.

Questions about obsequies

What does obsequies mean?
Obsequies means funeral rites.
What part of speech is obsequies?
Obsequies is a noun.
How do you pronounce obsequies?
Obsequies is pronounced /ˈɒbsəkwiːz/ (UK).

Words near obsequies in the dictionary

  1. obsequiates
  2. obsequiating
  3. obsequie
  4. obsequience
  5. obsequiences
  6. obsequies
  7. obsequiosity
  8. obsequious
  9. obsequiously
  10. obsequiousness
  11. obsequiousnesses

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: obsequies (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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