vesper
noun
the evening star, especially Venus; Hesperus.
vesper
American
[ves-per]
/ ˈvɛs pər /
noun
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(initial capital letter) the evening star, especially Venus; Hesperus.
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Also called vesper bell. a bell rung at evening.
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(sometimes initial capital letter) vespers,
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a religious service in the late afternoon or the evening.
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the sixth of the seven canonical hours, or the service for it, occurring in the late afternoon or the evening.
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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.
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Anglican Church. evensong.
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Archaic. evening.
adjective
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of, pertaining to, appearing in, or proper to the evening.
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of or relating to vespers.
vesper
1
British
/ ˈvɛspə /
noun
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an evening prayer, service, or hymn
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an archaic word for evening
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(modifier) of or relating to vespers
Vesper
2
British
/ ˈvɛspə /
noun
Etymology
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
Explanation
A vesper is an evening song. It also refers to evening prayers, and then it’s usually plural as vespers. Whether it’s a church service or a jazz band at sunset, if it’s in the evening, it’s a vesper. Vesper hasn’t changed much over the years, in Latin it means “evening star,” and in Old English it’s æfen-sang, which sounds a little like “evening song.” In the Christian tradition, vespers are prayer services occurring later in the day. In the Roman Catholic Church vespers are a series of prayers that church officials and believers say together. This word has had several meanings over time, but most are related to evening, which is when the prayers take place.
Vocabulary lists containing vesper
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.
Mr. Sidebottom divides the gladiator’s day into 12 segments—from vesper to vesper—and devotes a chapter of his book to each.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Their vesper flights take them to the top of what is called the convective boundary layer.
From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2020
Me, I sang Laura Nyro’s “Buy and Sell,” which says, among other things, “death tolls like a vesper bell.”
From Slate • Dec. 8, 2019
On another occasion, I ordered a vesper and got a negroni.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 27, 2014
Immediately after this change in the course, the people sang the vesper hymn, as usual, which, in that mild sea, they often deferred until the hour when the watch below sought their hammocks.
From Mercedes of Castile The Voyage to Cathay by Cooper, J. Fenimore
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
