Tenebrae

American  

[ten-uh-brey] / ˈtɛn əˌbreɪ /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. the office of matins and lauds for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Holy Week, sung respectively on the afternoon of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of that week, at which the Crucifixion is commemorated by the gradual extinguishment of candles.

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Tenebrae British  

/ ˈtɛnəˌbreɪ /

noun

1. (functioning as singular or plural) RC Church (formerly) the matins and lauds for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Holy Week, usually sung in the evenings or at night

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Etymology

Origin of Tenebrae

1645–55; < Latin: literally, darkness

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Tenebrae

In a tribute on the website of the London-based choir Tenebrae, Nigel Short, the choir’s director, recalled the crucial support Mr. Bowman gave him early in his career.

From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2023

In 1982, Giallo master Dario Argento directed a slasher film called Tenebrae, or “darkness.”

From The Verge ● Sep. 3, 2021

The Office of Tenebrae is a special Holy Week liturgy of light and shadow.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 18, 2016

Britten's influence could also be detected in the work that had occupied the first half of the programme: the UK premiere of John Pickard's Tenebrae, which Brabbins introduced in Sweden in 2010.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 10, 2013

In the afternoon at Tenebrae, the office, being that of Holy Saturday anticipated as usual, refers to the repose of the body of our blessed Lord in the tomb.

From The Ceremonies of the Holy-Week at Rome by Charles Michael Baggs