Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A book containing the book of Psalms or a particular version of, musical setting for, or selection from it.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun [capitalized] The Book of Psalms, considered as a separate book of the Old Testament: usually restricted to those versions of or compends from it which are arranged especially for the services of the church, such as the version of the Psalms in the Book of Common Prayer.
  • noun In liturgics, that portion of the Psalms appointed for a given day or service.
  • noun In the Roman Catholic Church: A series of devout utterances or aspirations, 150 in number, in honor of certain mysteries, as the sufferings of Christ.
  • noun A large chaplet or rosary, consisting of 150 beads, corresponding to the number of the Psalms.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The Book of Psalms; -- often applied to a book containing the Psalms separately printed.
  • noun Specifically, the Book of Psalms as printed in the Book of Common Prayer; among the Roman Catholics, the part of the Breviary which contains the Psalms arranged for each day of the week.
  • noun (R. C. Ch.) A rosary, consisting of a hundred and fifty beads, corresponding to the number of the psalms.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a collection of Psalms for liturgical use

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English psaltere and Old French psaultier, both from Late Latin psaltērium, from Latin, psaltery, from Greek psaltērion; see psaltery.]

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