Hymn

Pronunciation

• enPR: hÄ­m, IPA: /hɪm/
• Rhymes: -ɪm
• Homophones: him

Origin

From Middle English ymne, borrowed from Old French ymne, from Latin hymnus, borrowed from Ancient Greek ὕμνος

Full definition of hymn

Noun

1. A song of praise or worship.
• 1907, Robert Chambers, The Younger Set Chapter 8, But when the moon rose and the breeze awakened, and the sedges stirred, and the cat’s-paws raced across the moonlit ponds, and the far surf off Wonder Head intoned the hymn of the four winds, …

Derived terms

Verb

1. (transitive) To sing (a hymn).
• 2009, January 21, Michael Coveney, Tom O'Horgan, An unknown cast, including Diane Keaton, hymned the Age of Aquarius, stripped off at the end of the first act and let the sunshine in at the end of the second.
2. (transitive) To praise or extol in hymns.
• KebleTo hymn the bright of the Lord.
• ByronTheir praise is hymned by loftier harps than mine.