hymn
hymn
Greek
“Surprisingly, hymn began as any formal song of praise.”
The English word hymn comes from Latin hymnus, borrowed from Greek hýmnos, written ὕμνος. In classical Greek, a hýmnos was a festive song, often one of praise to a god or hero. The form is attested centuries before Christianity. Its first home was the sung world of Greek ritual and poetry.
Latin adopted hymnus in the classical period, and Christian writers kept it alive with a narrower sacred sense. By the fourth century, church hymnody was a recognized form in both Greek East and Latin West. Ambrose of Milan, who died in 397 CE, became a landmark name in Latin hymn tradition. The word had moved from temple and festival into church and liturgy.
Old English had related native words for song, but hymn entered English through Latin and French ecclesiastical channels. Middle English records hymn and ymne in religious contexts by the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The initial h stayed in spelling even when pronunciation varied. The written form preserved its learned ancestry.
Modern English hymn means a religious song of praise, especially one sung in Christian worship. In broader use, it can also mean any elevated song of praise to a person, place, or ideal. The religious core, though, is the main modern sense. A public song became sacred speech in melody.
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Today
Hymn now means a religious song of praise or devotion, especially one sung by a congregation. In Christian use it usually refers to a metrical song used in worship outside or alongside scriptural chants.
The word can also extend to any solemn song of praise in literature or speech. Its core sense remains sacred and musical: "a song of praise."
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