What does hymn mean?
Definitions for hymn
hɪmhymn
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word hymn.
Princeton's WordNet
hymn, anthemverb
a song of praise (to God or to a saint or to a nation)
hymnverb
sing a hymn
hymnverb
praise by singing a hymn
"They hymned their love of God"
Wiktionary
hymnnoun
a song of praise or worship
hymnverb
To sing a hymn; to praise or worship by singing.
Etymology: From ymne, borrowed from ymne, from hymnus, borrowed from ὕμνος
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Hymnnoun
An encomiastick song, or song of adoration to some superiour being.
Etymology: hymne, Fr. ὕμνος.
As I earst, in praise of mine own dame,
So now in honour of thy mother dear,
An honourable hymn I eke should frame. Edmund Spenser.Our solemn hymns to sullen dirges change;
Our bridal flow’rs serve for a buried coarse. William Shakespeare.When steel grows
Soft as the parasite’s silk, let hymns be made
An overture for the wars. William Shakespeare, Coriolanus.There is an hymn sung; but the subject of it is always the praises of Adam, and Noah and Abraham, concluding ever with a thanksgiving for the nativity of our Saviour. Francis Bacon.
Farewel, you happy shades,
Where angels first should practise hymns, and string
Their tuneful harps, when they to heav’n would sing. Dryd.To Hymnverb
To praise in song; to worship with hymns.
Etymology: ὑμνέω.
To Hymnverb
To sing songs of adoration.
They touch’d their golden harps, and hymning prais’d
God and his works. John Milton.He had not left alive this patient saint,
This anvil of affronts, but sent him hence
To hold a peaceful branch of palm above,
And hymn it in the quire. John Dryden, Spanish Fryar.
Wikipedia
Hymn
A secular Hymn is a type of non-religious popular song that has elements in common with religious music, especially with Christian hymns. The concept goes back at least as far as 17 BCE when the Roman emperor Augustus commissioned the Roman poet Horace to write lyrics by that title ("Carmen Saeculare" in Latin). The idea has been recognized in popular music at least since the late 1960s and early 1970s when people began to see a pattern in songs, such as "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel, "Let it Be" by the Beatles, and "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor, which came out at about the same time. "Hallelujah" (which was written by Leonard Cohen in 1984, but only became famous when John Cale covered it in 1991) has since been called perhaps the quintessential secular hymn despite the lyrics containing strong Jewish themes. Other songs that are sometimes mentioned as secular hymns include "Many Rivers to Cross" by Jimmy Cliff, "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash, "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night, "Hey, Jude" by the Beatles, "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell, "No Woman, No Cry" by Bob Marley, "Going My Way" by Bing Crosby, "Blowin in the Wind" by Bob Dylan, "Like a Prayer" by Madonna, "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell (famously covered by Judy Collins), "Show Me Heaven" by Maria McKee, "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers, "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King, "You Can Close Your Eyes" by James Taylor, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland, "Imagine" by John Lennon, "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty, "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong, and "Million Reasons" by Lady Gaga, and many others. Determining exactly what does and does not qualify as a secular hymn is obviously difficult. Professor Steve Thomsen, BYU communications professor, suggests six criteria including that the song transcends generations, that it is about redemption or deliverance, that it has spiritual overtones, that it includes metaphors referring to up or down and/or to light and dark, that its meaning transcends initial purpose, and that it has become used as a backdrop for important life events. Richard Wilson suggests a secular hymn needs only to be written as an anthem with a positive theme that doesn't gloss over the difficulties of life.
ChatGPT
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, that is typically addressed to a deity or deities, or specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer. It is often written in the form of metrical poetry, and sung in communal religious gatherings.
Webster Dictionary
Hymnnoun
an ode or song of praise or adoration; especially, a religious ode, a sacred lyric; a song of praise or thankgiving intended to be used in religious service; as, the Homeric hymns; Watts' hymns
Hymnverb
to praise in song; to worship or extol by singing hymns; to sing
Hymnverb
to sing in praise or adoration
Etymology: [OE. hympne, ympne, F. hymne, OF. also ymne, L. hymnus, Gr. ; perh. akin to web, to weave, and so to E. weave.]
Wikidata
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word hymn derives from Greek ὕμνος, which means "a song of praise". Collections of hymns are known as hymnals or hymnbooks.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Hymn
him, n. a song of praise, a metrical formula of public worship.—v.t. to celebrate in song: to worship by hymns.—v.i. to sing in adoration.—ns. Hym′nal, Hym′nary, a hymn-book.—adj. Hym′nic, relating to hymns.—ns. Hym′nody, hymns collectively: hymnology; Hymnog′rapher; Hymnog′raphy, the art of writing hymns; Hymnol′ogist; Hymnol′ogy, the study or composition of hymns. [Gr. hymnos.]
Suggested Resources
HYMN
What does HYMN stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the HYMN acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of hymn in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of hymn in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6
Examples of hymn in a Sentence
Far or forgot to me is nearShadow and sunlight are the sameThe vanished gods to me appearAnd one to me are shame and fame.They reckon ill who leave me outWhen me they fly, I am the wingsI am the doubter and the doubt,And I the hymn the Brahmin sings.
Billy Graham was, in my view, the most important evangelist since the Apostle Paul. Billy Graham preached Christ, not himself, not politics, not prosperity, what Billy Graham taught us is all summed up in the invitation hymn sing at Billy Graham crusades across the nation : ‘ Just as I am, without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me, ’.
In the midst of the storm, your life boat appears. A psalm, a hymn, a word... calming the fiercest winds of the soul.
There they stand, the innumerable stars, shining in order like a living hymn, written in light.
Botham Jean told me Botham Jean had never heard the song before, but that day, Botham Jean called back to St. Lucia and asked Botham Jean grandmother to teach Botham Jean that old hymn on the phone, so Botham Jean shared it with us... that night, and it was a truly special moment.
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References
Translations for hymn
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- ترنيمةArabic
- гімнBelarusian
- kaniriBreton
- himneCatalan, Valencian
- chorál, chvalozpěvCzech
- emynWelsh
- hymneDanish
- HymneGerman
- himnoEsperanto
- himnoSpanish
- hümnEstonian
- گاتا, سرود, یسناPersian
- hymniFinnish
- hymneFrench
- laoidhScottish Gaelic
- זמירהHebrew
- sálmur, lofsöngurIcelandic
- 賛美歌, 聖歌, 賛歌Japanese
- KiercheliddLuxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- himeneMāori
- innuMaltese
- lofzang, hymneDutch
- hymnPolish
- hinoPortuguese
- imnRomanian
- гимнRussian
- slavopev, himna, slavopojka, slavopevkaSerbo-Croatian
- hymnSwedish
- hümVolapük
Get even more translations for hymn »
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