Tenebrae

American  

[ten-uh-brey] / ˈtɛn əˌbreɪ /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. the office of matins and lauds for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Holy Week, sung respectively on the afternoon of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of that week, at which the Crucifixion is commemorated by the gradual extinguishment of candles.

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Tenebrae British  

/ ˈtɛnəˌbreɪ /

noun

1. (functioning as singular or plural) RC Church (formerly) the matins and lauds for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Holy Week, usually sung in the evenings or at night

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Etymology

Origin of Tenebrae

1645–55; < Latin: literally, darkness

Example Sentences

In 1982, Giallo master Dario Argento directed a slasher film called Tenebrae, or “darkness.”

From The Verge • Sep. 3, 2021

The Office of Tenebrae is a special Holy Week liturgy of light and shadow.

From Washington Post • Mar. 18, 2016

Candles will slowly be extinguished during this hourlong Tenebrae service.

From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2015

Britten's influence could also be detected in the work that had occupied the first half of the programme: the UK premiere of John Pickard's Tenebrae, which Brabbins introduced in Sweden in 2010.

From The Guardian • Jan. 10, 2013

It seemed to them that they were ready to enter a church on the day of Tenebrae.

From Notre-Dame De Paris by Hapgood, Isabel Florence