psalm

American  

[sahm] / sɑm /

noun

• psalms
  plural

1. a sacred song or hymn.

2. (initial capital letter) any of the songs, hymns, or prayers contained in the Book of Psalms.

3. a metric version or paraphrase of any of these.

4. a poem of a similar nature.

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psalm British  

/ sɑːm /

noun

1. (often capital) any of the 150 sacred songs, lyric poems, and prayers that together constitute a book (Psalms) of the Old Testament

2. a musical setting of one of these poems

3. any sacred song or hymn

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• psalmic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• psalms
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of psalm

before 900; Middle English psalm ( e ), s ( e ) alm ( e ), psame, Old English ps ( e ) alm, sealm < Late Latin psalmus < Greek psalmós song sung to the harp, originally, a plucking, as of strings, akin to psállein to pluck, pull, play (the harp)

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Explanation

A psalm is a religious song in the Bible. While you can read psalms as prayers, they are meant to be sung. The Book of Psalms is a section of the Christian Old Testament and the Hebrew Bible that includes 150 individual psalms. The word psalm, which is pronounced with a silent p, comes from the Greek word psalmos, "song sung to a harp," and its root, psallein, "play a stringed instrument." While they're not often backed by a harp these days, psalms are frequently sung with musical accompaniment in churches and temples.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

psalm psalms

Green, of Carmarthen in west Wales, held what was described in court as a "large sign" displaying the psalm text "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb".

From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2024

Just as May’s coronation ceremony gave nods to the multicultural nature of Britain today, Wednesday’s church service will include a psalm sung in Gaelic.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 4, 2023

He takes Psalm 23, which is a really gentle psalm.

From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2023

Helbrans had taught at a Hasidic school in his native Israel before he started Lev Tahor in the 1980s, taking the name — which means “pure heart” — from a psalm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2023

I sat there, staring at the first psalm of the service and thinking of the almost new prayer book I had held in my hands that morning.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

During a return trip to Pokrovskoe he set up a chapel in the cellar of his stable, attracting pilgrims to pray and sing psalms with him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

“There are only a few psalms where he’s like, ‘Thank God, my life is good.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2025

Volunteers, once hard to find, have been packing donations, gathering daily to recite psalms and fundraising for Israel - “coming together like you would for your family.”

From Washington Times ● Dec. 6, 2023

Inside St Giles', a 1,700-strong congregation gave voice to psalms which had been sung at the coronations of Charles I at Holyrood in 1633 and of Charles II at Scone in 1651.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2023

There were, for example, one hundred and fifty psalms in the standard church repertoire, all of which had their own melodies.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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Related Words

• hymn
• verse

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