vesper

[ ves-per ]

See synonyms for: vesper vespers on Thesaurus.com

noun

(initial capital letter) the evening star, especially Venus; Hesperus.
Also called vesper bell . a bell rung at evening.

vespers, (sometimes initial capital letter)Ecclesiastical.
- a religious service in the late afternoon or the evening.
- the sixth of the seven canonical hours, or the service for it, occurring in the late afternoon or the evening.
- Roman Catholic Church. a part of the office to be said in the evening by those in major orders, frequently made a public ceremony in the afternoons or evenings of Sundays and holy days.
- Anglican Church. evensong (def. 1).
Archaic. evening.

adjective

of, pertaining to, appearing in, or proper to the evening.
of or relating to vespers.

Origin of vesper

1350–1400; Middle English, partly <Latin: evening, evening star; partly <Old French vespres evening service <Medieval Latin vesperās, accusative plural of Latin vespera, feminine variant of vesper; cognate with Greek hésperos; akin to west

Words Nearby vesper

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use vesper in a sentence

The film feels dated at times but its central message still rings loud as bells at vespers.
11 Dark Christmas Movies to Watch If You’re Not Quite Feeling the Holiday Spirit | Peg Aloi | December 20, 2021 | Time
At another time she took from Bouvard twenty sous, which she placed at vesper-time in the sacristans collecting-plate.
Bouvard and Pcuchet, part 2 | Gustave Flaubert
Like the meadowlark again, the vesper sparrow occasionally sings as it soars upward from its grassy home.
Bird Neighbors | Neltje Blanchan
Its habit of singing later in the evening gave it the name of “vesper.”
Western Bird Guide | Chester A. (Chester Albert) Reed, Harry F. Harvey, and Rex I. Brasher
His attention was constantly interrupted by the little flutter of color made more distinct by a vesper before the photograph.
John Ermine of the Yellowstone | Frederic Remington

Would you could have heard that vesper hymn stealing hirsute through the mellow evening-air!
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 85, November, 1864 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for vesper (1 of 2)

vesper

/ (ˈvɛspə) /

noun

an evening prayer, service, or hymn
an archaic word for evening

(modifier) of or relating to vespers

Origin of vesper

C14: from Latin: evening, the evening star; compare Greek hesperos evening; see west

See also vespers

British Dictionary definitions for Vesper (2 of 2)

Vesper

/ (ˈvɛspə) /

noun

the planet Venus, when appearing as the evening star

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

Browse