matins

British  

/ ˈmætɪnz /

noun

1. 1. RC Church the first of the seven canonical hours of prayer, originally observed at night but now often recited with lauds at daybreak

   2. the service of morning prayer in the Church of England

2. literary  a morning song, esp of birds

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Etymology

Origin of matins

C13: from Old French, ultimately from Latin mātūtīnus of the morning, from Mātūta goddess of dawn

Example Sentences

The early Monday morning “matins” meetings between senior members of both parties set the agenda for the week and iron out disagreements, officials said.

From Reuters

Meanwhile, the real political battles at home and genuine conflicts abroad proceed, an afterthought to those for whom denouncing Trump is now every bit the daily obligation as matins is for a monk.

From Washington Post

Although lessons drawn from the saint’s vita are inserted between the matins responsories, minor prayers and versicles are omitted, as are all but the first couple of verses of psalms and canticles.

From Washington Post

Each school morning, the 2- to 5-year-olds walk next door to the church, for a small ‘matins’ service, which Henson leads for 20 minutes.

From Washington Times

As I recall, there was a lot of tension between those who wanted a quiet life of matins and evensong running along like liturgical clockwork, and those who wanted to bring in “new life.”

From The New Yorker