matins

/ ˈmætɪnz /

noun

1. 1. RC Church the first of the seven canonical hours of prayer, originally observed at night but now often recited with lauds at daybreak

   2. the service of morning prayer in the Church of England

2. literary,  a morning song, esp of birds

Word History and Origins

Origin of matins¹

C13: from Old French, ultimately from Latin mātūtīnus of the morning, from Mātūta goddess of dawn

Example Sentences

The early Monday morning “matins” meetings between senior members of both parties set the agenda for the week and iron out disagreements, officials said.

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Bells call them to vespers, to matins, to noonday prayer.

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I crept back into bed and lay there, contemplating the terrible sorts of fates that seem possible only in the small hours, until matins rang.

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Meanwhile, the real political battles at home and genuine conflicts abroad proceed, an afterthought to those for whom denouncing Trump is now every bit the daily obligation as matins is for a monk.

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Although lessons drawn from the saint’s vita are inserted between the matins responsories, minor prayers and versicles are omitted, as are all but the first couple of verses of psalms and canticles.

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