Meaning & use
vesper
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Meanings
nounsingularliteraryarchaic
The evening, or the evening star, in poetic writing.
Grammar: Singular and literary: the vesper hour.
Patterns
- at vesper
The poet watched the first vesper shine over the hills.
At vesper the bells began to ring across the valley.
The old song describes the vesper sky turning rose and gold.
nounusually pluralreligion
Vespers: the evening prayer service of some Christian churches.
Grammar: Almost always plural, vespers, with a singular verb: vespers is at six.
Patterns
- attend vespers
- sing vespers
The monks gather for vespers at sunset.
We attended vespers in the old cathedral.
Vespers is sung every evening in the abbey.
adjectivebefore a nounliterary
Of or relating to the evening, especially evening worship.
Grammar: Used before nouns such as bell, light or service.
The vesper bell rang from the chapel tower.
A vesper light glowed in the window.
Word forms
| plural | vespers |
|---|
Common combinations
- evening vespers
- Evening vespers drew a small crowd to the chapel.
- vesper bell
- The vesper bell called the nuns to prayer.
- sing vespers
- The choir will sing vespers on Sunday.
- vesper service
- The vesper service was held by candlelight.
- vesper hour
- At the vesper hour the village grew quiet.
Synonyms and how they differ
- evensong
- Evensong is the Anglican evening service, while vespers is the term used by Catholic and Orthodox churches.
- evening prayer
- Evening prayer is a plain descriptive phrase, while vespers names the particular formal service.
- eventide
- Eventide is a poetic word for the evening itself, close to the first sense of vesper.
Opposites
Word family
- vespers noun
- the evening service
- vespertine adjective
- happening or active in the evening
- Vesper proper noun
- a name for the evening star Venus
Commonly confused: vesper or vestry?
vesper vs vestry
A vestry is a room in a church where robes are kept. Vesper relates to evening prayer.
Practice
The monks gathered in the chapel at sunset for ___.
Choose one answer.
Vespers is the evening service. Matins and lauds are early-morning services, and a vestry is a room, not a service.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vesper”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.