psalmody

1 9.9

Singing psalms and hymns during a religious service

noun
/ˈsɑlmədi/

Specialized

: salmodia

During the service, the choir led us in beautiful psalmody that filled the church with a sense of peace.

Examples

She established a third community so that it could perform the unceasing psalmody in a small martyrion she built in the "place in which the feet of the Lord stood."

Academic text (2007)
PSALMODY.

Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
PSALMODY.

Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
Melania built her communities on holy ground and gave the nuns and monks the task of marking and honoring those places with continual prayers and psalmody.

Academic text (2007)
The community gathers every Sunday to engage in psalmody, uplifting their spirits through song and worship.
In many religious traditions, psalmody is an integral part of the worship experience, allowing participants to express their faith through music.

Synonyms

hymnody

vspsalmody

Specialized

1 9.9

The singing, writing, or collecting of religious songs for worship

focuses on the practice of singing sacred songs during services

How Liturgical

psalmody

Specialized

1 9.9

chanting

31 3.4

hymnology

Specialized

1 9.1

singing

332 1.0

Surface Forms

psalmody singular

psalmodies plural

Morphology

psalmody = psalm (semi-transparent) = psalm + ody

Formed from 'psalm' + the uncommon suffix '-ody' (compare 'melody'); the link to 'psalm' is clear but the suffix meaning 'practice or act of singing' is rare in English.

Etymology

The word psalmody comes from the word psalm meaning 'song' and the ending -ody, which is like melody and also means 'song'. So psalmody is the singing or practice of singing psalms in a religious service.