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matins

British  
/ ˈmætɪnz /

noun

    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

  1. literary a morning song, esp of birds

"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

Etymology

Origin of matins

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


Vocabulary lists containing matins

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.

See Examples For:

Those moments once felt sacred, like matins, the quiet prelude to a day of work.

From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2021

As I recall, there was a lot of tension between those who wanted a quiet life of matins and evensong running along like liturgical clockwork, and those who wanted to bring in “new life.”

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 30, 2014

I went to Marlborough College in Wiltshire, and they had a beautiful chapel where we had matins most days.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 9, 2014

Beyond officiating at matins and evensong on Sundays, bland, white-haired Dr. Davidson* spent little time there.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

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