1. An inscription on a tombstone or monument commemorating the person buried there; occasionally, a brief composition characterizing a deceased person, and expressed as if intended to be inscribed on his tombstone: "After the accident in space, the students in the science exploration class were asked to write epitaphs about each of the astronauts who died."
2. A short speech or piece of writing celebrating the life of a recently deceased person: "The politician was asked to read the epitaph that the newspaper editor had written honoring the local city mayor who had died last week."

"An elegy is also known as a commemoration or a memoir for someone who has passed on."

"Sometimes an epitaph is a monumental lie."

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Statements that lie above about those who lie below: epitaph quotes.