Gregorian chant


noun
  1. the plain song or cantus firmus used in the ritual of the Roman Catholic Church.

  2. a melody in this style.

Origin of Gregorian chant

1
1745–55; named after Pope Gregory I; see -ian

Words Nearby Gregorian chant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Gregorian chant in a sentence

  • Among the songs which we offer to the children, the greatest favorite proved to be the syllabic Gregorian chant.

  • For a time the world's stock of tunes is practically comprised in the melodies collected by Gregory, known as the Gregorian chant.

    The English Novel | Sidney Lanier

British Dictionary definitions for Gregorian chant

Gregorian chant

noun
  1. another name for plainsong

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Gregorian chant

Gregorian chant

The traditional music for Latin texts in the worship of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant is marked by performance in unison and by free-flowing rhythms that follow the phrasing of the text. The chants often call for one syllable to be sung across several notes.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.