Definitions

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

  • noun plural The office of matins and lauds sung on the last three days of Holy Week, with a ceremony of candles.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A Christian religious service celebrated by the Western Church on the evening before or early morning of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, involving the gradual extinguishing of candles while a series of readings and psalms are chanted or recited.

Etymologies

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

[Medieval Latin, from Latin tenebrae, darkness.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin tenebrae shadows, darkness.

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