the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. The last duty or service to a person, rendered after his death; hence, a rite or ceremony pertaining to burial; -- now used only in the plural.
n. Obsequiousness.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. Ready compliance; deferential service; obsequiousness.
n. A funeral rite or ceremony.
Word Usage
"Man's introduction could be understood as the uncomfortable relation between obsequiousness and obsequy, that is, between the awkward coincidence of following one's teachers and issuing their burial rites. close window"