hymn means A song of praise or worship, especially a religious one. It carries an Arena rating of 1451, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, hymn ranks #132 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words, #1,310 of 17,120 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,290 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #4,668 of 17,111 for Most Sublime Words.
hymn is pronounced /hɪm/.
Why “hymn” is a great word
A song of praise or worship, especially a religious one. From Middle English ymne, from Old English ymen, reinforced by Old French ymne, from Latin hymnus, borrowed from Ancient Greek ὕμνος (húmnos, 'festive song, hymn of praise'). Unlike a carol, which is tethered to festive celebration, or a psalm, which is a specific sacred poem from scripture, a hymn is the broader, crafted vessel for collective adoration. It is the weathered hymnbook opened to a familiar number, the somber, rising harmony of an organ prelude, and the unified breath of a crowd finding common melody in uncommon faith—the architecture of sound built to hold a trembling hope.
Etymology
From Middle English ymne, from Old English ymen (reinforced by Old French ymne), from Latin hymnus, borrowed from Ancient Greek ὕμνος (húmnos).
noun
- A song of praise or worship, especially a religious one.
verb
- To sing a hymn.e.g.“An unknown cast, including Diane Keaton, hymned the Age of Aquarius, stripped off at the end of the first act and let the sunshine in at the end of the second.”
- To praise or extol in hymns.e.g.“To hymn the birth-night of the Lord.”