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pl.n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) 1. Ecclesiastical a. The sixth of the seven canonical hours. b. A worship service held in the late afternoon or evening in many Western Christian churches. c. The time of day appointed for this service. 2. Evensong. 3. Roman Catholic Church A service held on Sundays or holy days that includes the office of vespers. [Obsolete French vespres, from Old French, from Medieval Latin vesperās, evening service, from Latin, accusative pl. of vespera, evening, variant of vesper; see VESPER.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
n. 1. A bell that summons worshipers to vespers. 2. Vesper The evening star, especially Venus. 3. Archaic Evening. [Middle English, evening star, from Latin, evening; see wes-pero- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
