Meaning & use
Agnus Dei
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablereligion
A prayer and hymn in Christian worship that begins with the Latin words 'Lamb of God'.
Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural when referring to the prayer or the hymn as a whole.
Patterns
- sing the Agnus Dei
- the Agnus Dei is said
The choir sang the Agnus Dei just before communion.
In the Latin Mass, the Agnus Dei comes after the sign of peace.
nouncountablereligionspecialist
A painted or sculpted image of a lamb, often holding a banner, used as a Christian symbol.
Grammar: Countable when it means a picture or object: an Agnus Dei, two Agnus Deis.
Patterns
- an Agnus Dei on something
Above the altar hangs a golden Agnus Dei.
The mosaic shows an Agnus Dei holding a cross.
Word forms
| plural | Agnus Deis |
|---|
Common combinations
- sing the Agnus Dei
- The congregation stood to sing the Agnus Dei.
- the Agnus Dei is said
- In this parish the Agnus Dei is said in English.
- an Agnus Dei banner
- The procession carried an Agnus Dei banner.
- the Latin Agnus Dei
- He knows the Latin Agnus Dei by heart.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Lamb of God
- The English translation of the same phrase, used especially in Protestant worship.
Word family
- agnus noun
- Latin for 'lamb', not used alone in English except in this phrase.
Commonly confused: Agnus Dei or Agnus castus?
Agnus Dei vs Agnus castus
A plant name; it looks similar but refers to a shrub, not to the Christian prayer.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'Agnus Dei' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Agnus Dei' is a religious text or image, so it can be 'read' or 'sung' in worship. The other options treat it as a shopping item, a heavy object, or a verb, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Agnus Dei”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.