Emily Dickinson Lexicon

EL'E-GY, n. [L. elegia; Gr. ελεγειον, ελεγος, supposed to be from λεγω, to speak or utter. Qu. the root of the L. lugeo. The verbs may have a common origin, for to speak and to cry out in wailing are only modifications of the same act, to throw out the voice with more or less vehemence.]

1. A mournful or plaintive poem, or a funeral song; a poem or a song expressive of sorrow and lamentation. Shak. Dryden.
2. A short poem without points or affected elegancies. Johnson.