Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A song or chant, especially a nonmetrical hymn with words taken from a biblical text other than from the book of Psalms.
- noun Bible The Song of Songs.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One of the non-metrical hymns recorded in the Bible as sung on some special occasion, and expressive of joy, thanksgiving, or confidence in God's help.
- noun One of these hymns, or a composition of similar character, arranged for chanting, and so used in church service.
- noun Specifically [capitalized] plural The Songs, otherwise called the Song of Songs, or Song of Solomon (LL. Canticum Canticorum Salomonis), one of the books of the Old Testament.
- noun A division of a song or poem; a canto.
- noun Any song or hymn, properly one that is brief and simple.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun obsolete A song; esp. a little song or hymn.
- noun The Song of Songs or Song of Solomon, one of the books of the Old Testament.
- noun obsolete A canto or division of a poem.
- noun A psalm, hymn, or passage from the Bible, arranged for chanting in church service.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun a
chant ,hymn orsong , especially anonmetrical one, with words from abiblical text
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a hymn derived from the Bible
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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This canticle, which is not admitted into the authorized books, is to be found in fragments in the 237th letter of St. Augustine to Bishop Chretius; and, whatever disputes there may have been about its authenticity, it is certain that singing was employed in all religious ceremonies.
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ANNE RICE, AUTHOR: Well, a canticle is a song and it's just a blood song.
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(Antiphona also means the antiphon of a psalm or canticle, which is of the same form as in the Roman Rite.)
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 10: Mass Music-Newman 1840-1916 1913
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A "canticle," you see, is simply a holy love song -- a poem or refrain based on a portion of Scripture not found in the Psalms.
Canticle -- By Any Other Name... Heidi Hess Saxton 2007
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It seemed anachronistic, out of touch with the mainstream (I actually had to look up "canticle" to see what it meant).
Canticle -- By Any Other Name... Heidi Hess Saxton 2007
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It's vague, but I remember really liking it, but in "canticle", the story traverses many eras, and, deals with the theme ultimately of global violence.
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A "canticle," you see, is simply a holy love song -- a poem or refrain based on a portion of Scripture not found in the Psalms.
Archive 2007-03-01 Heidi Hess Saxton 2007
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It seemed anachronistic, out of touch with the mainstream (I actually had to look up "canticle" to see what it meant).
Archive 2007-03-01 Heidi Hess Saxton 2007
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And her humility, which was never equaled by that of any other woman, did not hinder her from seeing the great things that God had operated in her, as she herself proclaims in that sublime canticle which is the "Magna Charta" of the rights, the prerogatives and the greatness of woman.
Serious Hours of a Young Lady Charles Sainte-Foi 1833
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You may easily discover this, Theotimus; for if this mystical nightingale sing to please God, she will sing the song which she knows to be most grateful to the Divine Providence, but if she sing for the delight which she herself takes in her melodious song, she will not sing the canticle which is most agreeable to the heavenly goodness, but that which she herself likes best, and from which she expects to draw the most contentment.
Treatise on the Love of God 1567-1622 1884
bilby commented on the word canticle
A negative-minded canicle.
November 22, 2008