nocturn

American

[nok-turn] / ˈnɒk tɜrn /

noun

Roman Catholic Church.

the office of matins, consisting of nine psalms and either three or nine lessons.

nocturn British

/ ˈnɒktɜːn /

noun

RC Church any of the main sections of the office of matins

"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 nocturn

before 1150; Middle English nocturne < Medieval Latin nocturna, noun use of feminine of Latin nocturnus by night; replacing Old English noctern < Medieval Latin, as above

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.

Nocturn, nok′turn, n. in the early church, a service of psalms and prayers at midnight or at daybreak: a portion of the psalter used at nocturns.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various

Some of the most characteristic of these are the two semi-ballads, Sister Helen and The King's Tragedy, Rose Mary, Love's Nocturn, and Sonnets.

From Halleck's New English Literature by Halleck, Reuben Post

On Meditation.—Keep your fingers in your Breviary, and think over the lessons of the Second Nocturn.

From My New Curate by Sheehan, Patrick Augustine

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023