Canticle of Canticles
- proper noun
- Literature
:
Cantar de los Cantares
- The lush imagery of the Canticle of Canticles has inspired artists and poets through the centuries.
Examples
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The Canticle of Canticles is often read during Jewish Passover celebrations.
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The Canticle of Canticles is often read during weddings.
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Many theologians have analyzed the symbolism in the Canticle of Canticles.
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Have you ever studied the Canticle of Canticles?
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Many theologians have analyzed the symbolism in the Canticle of Canticles.
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The Canticle of Canticles is often read during Jewish Passover celebrations.
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The lush imagery of the Canticle of Canticles has inspired artists and poets through the centuries.
Synonyms
2
7.3
A book of the Old Testament that contains love poems
1
8.4
A book in the Old Testament made of love poems
A book of the Bible made of love poems
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'canticle' (a religious song) with the genitive pattern 'X of Xs', which a learner who knows the words can interpret as a foremost or collection of songs and therefore infer a title for a notable book of songs. However, mapping this exact form to the specific biblical book 'Song of Songs' (its conventional English equivalent and cultural/religious reference) requires background knowledge, so the relation is not fully predictable from the words alone.
Etymology
Canticle of Canticles comes from the old word canticle meaning 'song', so the phrase literally means 'song of songs' or the greatest song. It was used for the Old Testament book made of love poems, so the name helps you remember it is a special collection of songs about love.