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

See Examples For:

Dies Irae

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

But whereas Liszt opens with a Dies Irae melody, Mr. Adams aims for something funky and distinctly American.

From New York Times ● Mar. 6, 2019

Petrenko grasped the existential terror determining the work's mood swings, from the dark resonance of the Gregorian Dies Irae to manic tone rows and a macabre excursion to an Andalusian bar, with a death rattle on castanets.

From The Guardian ● May 5, 2013

In the ritual the Dies Irae is used for All Souls' Day and for requiem masses.

From Readings from Latin Verse With Notes by Curtis C. Bushnell