Magnificat
Americannoun
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(italics) the hymn of the Virgin Mary in Luke, 1:46–55, beginning “My soul doth magnify the Lord,” used as a canticle at evensong or vespers.
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a musical setting for this.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Magnificat
1150–1200; Middle English < Latin: (it) magnifies (from the first word of the hymn)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Phil subscription concerts the weekend of March 21-23, she conducted Bach’s Magnificat and Handel’s “Dixit Dominus.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2025
The musician is best known for his choral compositions, including Christmas carols, anthems and extended works such as the Gloria, the Requiem and the Magnificat.
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2025
Bach’s Christmas Magnificat was written in 1723 when Bach was a very busy and underpaid teacher and music director in Leipzig.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 9, 2016
Mr. Pärt, in his Magnificat here, like his 16th-century counterparts, couldn’t be bothered with such mundane detail in his meditative state.
From New York Times • Dec. 6, 2015
A single meeting might include a recital of the Magnificat in Latin by a group of Roman Catholics, a whispered hymn by some Lutherans, and a sotto-voce chant by Eastern Orthodox women.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
