psalm

American  

[sahm] / sɑm /

noun

1. a sacred song or hymn.

2. (initial capital letter) any of the songs, hymns, or prayers contained in the Book of Psalms.

3. a metric version or paraphrase of any of these.

4. a poem of a similar nature.

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psalm British  

/ sɑːm /

noun

1. (often capital) any of the 150 sacred songs, lyric poems, and prayers that together constitute a book (Psalms) of the Old Testament

2. a musical setting of one of these poems

3. any sacred song or hymn

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Other Word Forms

• psalmic adjective

Etymology

Origin of psalm

before 900; Middle English psalm ( e ), s ( e ) alm ( e ), psame, Old English ps ( e ) alm, sealm < Late Latin psalmus < Greek psalmós song sung to the harp, originally, a plucking, as of strings, akin to psállein to pluck, pull, play (the harp)

Example Sentences

A small group prayed and sang a psalm as cars boarded the boat, but several hundred other people stood and clapped as a show of support for the sailing.

From BBC

Green, of Carmarthen in west Wales, held what was described in court as a "large sign" displaying the psalm text "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb".

From BBC

It arrived as the music of dire necessity, the work song, the psalm, and was subsequently used to distract and entertain captors, or to scare them off with screams and moans they couldn’t decipher.

From Los Angeles Times

“O Lord, how manifold are thy works!,” cried out David in his psalm.

From Salon

Just as May’s coronation ceremony gave nods to the multicultural nature of Britain today, Wednesday’s church service will include a psalm sung in Gaelic.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• hymn
• verse