Psalmos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sacred song or hymn used in religious worship, often with specific musical notation that enhances its spiritual significance
2. An ancient type of lyric poetry that expresses devotion and praise, commonly associated with the liturgical traditions of various faiths
3. A musical composition intended for worship that conveys messages of reverence and spirituality within a communal or individual context

Etymology: In ancient Greece, "psalmos" originally meant the plucking of a string, not a song. It came from "psallein," to pluck or twang a stringed instrument such as the harp or lyre, and the word described the sound of the strings rather than the verse sung over them. Only later did it come to name a sung piece accompanied by such an instrument. The Greek-speaking Jews who produced the Septuagint, the translation of the Hebrew Bible, adopted the word for the Hebrew songs of the Psalter, which is how it passed into Christian use. Its Greek sense of plucked music carried over into the Latin "psalmus" and then into English, where "psalm" was used for the sacred songs of the Bible.

Synonyms: psalms, hymns, chants, songs, religious songs