canticle

[ kan-ti-kuhl ]

noun

1. one of the nonmetrical hymns or chants, chiefly from the Bible, used in church services.
2. a song, poem, or hymn especially of praise.

canticle

/ ˈkæntɪkəl /

noun

1. a nonmetrical hymn, derived from the Bible and used in the liturgy of certain Christian churches
2. a song, poem, or hymn, esp one that is religious in character

Word History and Origins

Origin of canticle¹

1175–1225; Middle English (< Old French ) < Latin canticulum, equivalent to cantic ( um ) song ( canticum ) + -ulum -ule

Word History and Origins

Origin of canticle¹

C13: from Latin canticulum, diminutive of canticus a song, from canere to sing

Example Sentences

These tiny brown natives with a spring canticle that’s been described as a “pinnacle of song complexity” hold their tail upright and shake with sound when they sing.

From Seattle Times

On Saturday afternoon Ben rounded the corner of River Street and heard Toomer’s voice calling out in a wailing summer canticle to the last shoppers of the day.

From Literature

Christina Rossetti fears that her brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, is being stalked by a killer whose murders make reference to the Purgatory canticle of Dante’s “Divine Comedy.”

From New York Times

On February 8th 1996 in Davos, Switzerland, he wrote his most famous and controversial canticle: “A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace.”

From Economist

Compline is a simple service, including a confession of sins, one or more psalms, a short reading from scripture, versicles and responses, the Lord’s Prayer, and the canticle Nunc Dimittis.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• chant
• ditty
• oratorio
• paean
• psalm