Dies Irae

American  

[dee-eys eer-ey] / ˈdi eɪs ˈɪər eɪ /

noun

1. a Latin hymn on the Day of Judgment, commonly sung in a Requiem Mass.

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Dies Irae British  

/ ˈdiːeɪz ˈɪəraɪ /

noun

1. Christianity a famous Latin hymn of the 13th century, describing the Last Judgment. It is used in the Mass for the dead

2. a musical setting of this hymn, usually part of a setting of the Requiem

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Etymology

Origin of Dies Irae

literally: day of wrath

Example Sentences

At the end, the Disney organ, with its wood pipes, plays, as the forest burns, an angry Dies Irae.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2022

Still, the books wouldn’t have to face that Dies Irae for a while yet.

From Washington Post • Sep. 30, 2020

Sondheim gave transcendent musical voice to monomaniacal rage, with a shivery riff on the Dies Irae of the Catholic mass.

From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2020

Even if not every section is equally successful – the Dies Irae registers as surprisingly jolly for the day of judgment – the best is bold and distinctive.

From The Guardian • Jul. 6, 2011

Then comes a Dies Irae,    When full of misery And torments worse than fiery    He crams for his degree; p.

From The Scarlet Gown being verses by a St. Andrews Man by Murray, Robert F. (Robert Fuller)