Te Deum

American  

[tey dey-oom, -uhm, tee dee-uhm] / teɪ ˈdeɪ ʊm, -əm, ti ˈdi əm /

noun

1. (italics) an ancient Latin hymn of praise to God, in the form of a psalm, sung regularly at matins in the Roman Catholic Church and, usually, in an English translation, at Morning Prayer in the Anglican Church, as well as on special occasions as a service of thanksgiving.

2. a musical setting of this hymn.

3. a service of thanksgiving in which this hymn forms a prominent part.

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Te Deum British  

/ ˌtiː ˈdiːəm /

noun

1. an ancient Latin hymn in rhythmic prose, sung or recited at matins in the Roman Catholic Church and in English translation at morning prayer in the Church of England and used by both Churches as an expression of thanksgiving on special occasions

2. a musical setting of this hymn

3. a service of thanksgiving in which the recital of this hymn forms a central part

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Te Deum ¹ Cultural  

1. A hymn of praise to God, containing many passages from the Bible (see also Bible), that is used in the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Church, and the Roman Catholic Church as part of morning prayers on festive occasions. It begins, “Te Deum laudamus,” meaning, “We praise thee, O God.”

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“Te Deum” ² Cultural  

1. A hymn of praise to God, with words taken largely from the Bible (see also Bible), that is used by many groups of Christians (see also Christian). The “Te Deum” has been set to music by George Frederick Handel and by many other composers for performance in worship services of thanksgiving (after a victory in war, for example). The Latin words Te Deum laudamus mean “Thee, God, we praise.”

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Etymology

Origin of Te Deum

< Late Latin, first two words of the hymn, which begins: Tē Deum laudāmus we praise thee God

Example Sentences

The pandemic loomed large at the service, with a cap of several hundred on the number of people allowed into St. Peter's Basilica for the traditional year-end thanksgiving service known as the "Te Deum".

From Reuters • Dec. 31, 2021

The choir sang William Walton's setting of Te Deum Laudamus, composed for the Coronation, as the Queen's procession left the abbey.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2013

The concert opened with Bruckner’s majestic Te Deum, a hymn of praise to God.

From New York Times • Feb. 5, 2012

The other three are a setting of the Te Deum hymn of praise running to more than an hour.

From The Guardian • Jul. 13, 2011

Blanca assumed that it would occur to no one to think that Pedro Tercero Garcia was in Senator Trueba’s house at the very moment when the senator was attending the Te Deum in the cathedral.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende