variants often Psalm
: a sacred song or poem used in worship
especially : one of the biblical hymns collected in the Book of Psalms
Examples of psalm in a Sentence
after the sermon we sang a brief psalm
Recent Examples on the Web
The epitome of that tradition is Choral Evensong, an evening service of hymns, psalms and prayers laid out by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant archbishop of the Church of England, in 1549. —
ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026 After all, audiences may be captivated by the psalm singing itself, but then can also find more things that capture their imagination in the observational doc. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026 Gallagher is also excited about Psalms of the People (Salim Nan Daoine), Jack Archer’s Gaelic-language documentary about Scotland’s cultural heritage of traditional Gaelic psalm singing. —Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026 Like a typical Catholic Mass, scriptures, psalms and gospels will be read and the Holy Communion will be given. —Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for psalm
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026 After all, audiences may be captivated by the psalm singing itself, but then can also find more things that capture their imagination in the observational doc. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026 Gallagher is also excited about Psalms of the People (Salim Nan Daoine), Jack Archer’s Gaelic-language documentary about Scotland’s cultural heritage of traditional Gaelic psalm singing. —Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026 Like a typical Catholic Mass, scriptures, psalms and gospels will be read and the Holy Communion will be given. —Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for psalm
Cite this Entry
“Psalm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/psalm. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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Etymology
Old English psealm "psalm," from Latin psalmus (same meaning), from Greek psalmos "psalm," literally, "twanging of a harp," from psallein "to pluck, play a stringed musical instrument"
Word Origin
The Greek word psallein originally meant "to pull" or "to pluck." It then came to be used with the meaning "to play a stringed musical instrument." From this verb came the noun psalmos, which literally meant "the twanging of a harp." Since harp music often accompanied singing, psalmos took on the meaning of "a song sung to harp music" and later simply "a song or poem." It was borrowed into Latin as psalmus and came into English as psalm.
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