A eulogy is a funeral oration given in tribute to a person or people who have recently died. It can also praise a living person or people who are still alive, which normally takes place on special occasions like birthdays etc.
Eulogies should not be confused with elegies, which are poems written in tribute to the dead; nor with obituaries, which are published biographies recounting the lives of those who have recently died; nor with obsequies, which refer generally to the rituals surrounding funerals.
The book 'Farewell, Godspeed: The Greatest Eulogies of Our Time' features a collection of well known eulogies that have been delivered for American icons, from Martin Luther King to Bette Davis, Helen Keller to Lucille Ball.
Grabrede | Éloge funèbre | הספד | Eulogie