choir
[ kwahyuh r ]
/ kwaɪər /
noun
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
any group of musicians or musical instruments; a musical company, or band, or a division of one: string choir.
Architecture.
- the part of a church occupied by the singers of the choir.
- the part of a cruciform church east of the crossing.
(in medieval angelology) one of the orders of angels.
adjective
professed to recite or chant the divine office: a choir monk.
verb (used with or without object)
to sing or sound in chorus.
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Nearby words
choctaw, choctawhatchee, chog, chogyal, choice, choir, choir loft, choir school, choirboy, choirgirl, choirmaster
Origin of choir
1250–1300; Middle English quer < Old French cuer < Latin chorus chorus; replacing Old English chor choir < Latin
Related forms
choir·like, adjectiveCan be confused
choir quire1Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for choir
British Dictionary definitions for choir
choir
/ (kwaɪə) /
noun
an organized group of singers, esp for singing in church services
- the part of a cathedral, abbey, or church in front of the altar, lined on both sides with benches, and used by the choir and clergyCompare chancel
- (as modifier)choir stalls
a number of instruments of the same family playing togethera brass choir
Also called: choir organ one of the manuals on an organ controlling a set of soft sweet-toned pipesCompare great (def. 21), swell (def. 16)
any of the nine orders of angels in medieval angelology
Archaic spelling: quire
Derived Forms
choirlike, adjectiveWord Origin for choir
C13 quer, from Old French cuer, from Latin chorus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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