Hymnological

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the study or scholarly analysis of hymns and their historical, theological, or musical aspects
2. Pertaining to the academic discipline focused on the origin, development, and structure of religious songs or hymns
3. Concerning the examination and interpretation of sacred songs used in worship, including their composition and liturgical function

Etymology: Hymnological is a plain formation: "hymn" plus "-ology" (from Greek "logia", a study or discourse, from "logos") plus the adjectival "-ical". Combined, it means relating to the study of hymns, and the word was built this way in English, so its history is a matter of assembling existing pieces rather than a single moment of coinage. "Hymn" itself came into English through Old English "ymen" and "ymn", which were borrowed from Latin "hymnus", itself from Greek "hymnos", a song of praise. The Greek word appears in classical literature in this sense, so the core idea of a sung act of praise has stayed close to its origin for two thousand years. The "-ology" element, in English, is a productive suffix for naming fields of study, which is why hymnology exists as a noun and hymnological as its adjective. The sense of the whole word therefore sits neatly on top of its parts: a specialist discipline attached to a religious song form.

Synonyms: hymnal, psalmic, choral, liturgical