Epitaphist

/ˈɛpɪtæfɪst/ noun

Definition

A person who writes epitaphs or specializes in composing inscriptions for tombstones and memorials.

Etymology

From 'epitaph' plus the agent suffix '-ist,' which denotes someone who practices or specializes in something. This rare occupational noun emerged in English during the 17th-18th centuries when epitaph writing became a recognized literary skill.

Kelly Says

Epitaphists were essentially ghost writers for the dead—skilled craftspeople who had to compress an entire life's worth of meaning into a few poetic lines, making them part poet, part historian, and part emotional counselor.

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