psalmody

P3S1A1L1M3O1D2Y4
UK/ˈsɑː.mə.di/US/ˈsɑ.mə.di/US/ˈsɑl.mə.di/US, obsolete/ˈsæ.mə.di/

noun

The singing or the writing of psalms.

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RareScrabble 16

Meanings

nounpsalmody (countable and uncountable, plural psalmodies)

plural psalmodies

  1. uncountableentertainmentThe singing or the writing of psalms.

    All these strange antics were accompanied by still stranger guttural noises from the devotee, who seemed to be praying in a sing-song or else singing some pagan psalmody or other, during which his face twitched about in the most unnatural manner.

    1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 3, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC
    1 more example

    They deserved the enmity of the Pagans; and some of them might deserve the reproaches of avarice and intemperance; of avarice, which they gratified with holy plunder, and of intemperance, which they indulged at the expense of the people, who foolishly admired their tattered garments, loud psalmody, and artificial paleness.

    1781, Edward Gibbon, chapter XXVIII, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume III, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan; and T[homas] Cadell, […], →OCLC
  2. countableentertainmentA collection of psalms.
verbpsalmody (third-person singular simple present psalmodies, present participle psalmodying, simple past and past participle psalmodied)

present singular third person psalmodies · participle present psalmodying · participle past psalmodied · past psalmodied

  1. To celebrate in psalms.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe act of singing psalms or hymns

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekψαλμός“psalm”
  2. Koine Greekψαλμῳδίᾱ
  3. Latinpsalmōdia
  4. Englishpsalmody

Borrowed from Latin psalmōdia, from Koine Greek ψαλμῳδίᾱ (psalmōidíā), from Ancient Greek ψαλμός (psalmós, “psalm”) + ᾠδή (ōidḗ, “song”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian псалмопение
  • псалмопение (psalmopenie)singing of psalms
Catalan psalmòdia
  • psalmòdiasinging of psalms
Finnish virsikirja, psalmikokoelma
  • virsikirjacollection of psalms
  • psalmikokoelmacollection of psalms
  • virren veisuusinging of psalms
  • veisuusinging of psalms
  • veisaaminensinging of psalms
  • psalmilaulusinging of psalms
French psalmodie
  • psalmodiesinging of psalms
German Psalmodie
  • Psalmodiesinging of psalms
Greek ψαλμωδία
  • ψαλμωδία (psalmodía)singing of psalms
Hungarian zsoltároskönyv, zsoltárkönyv
  • zsoltároskönyvcollection of psalms
  • zsoltárkönyvcollection of psalms
  • zsoltárénekléssinging of psalms
Italian salmodia
  • salmodiasinging of psalms
Polish psalmodia, psalmodia
  • psalmodiacollection of psalms
  • psalmodiasinging of psalms
Portuguese salmodia
  • salmodiasinging of psalms
Spanish salmodia
  • salmodiasinging of psalms
Swedish psalmodi
  • psalmodisinging of psalms
Welsh salmyddiaeth
  • salmyddiaethsinging of psalms
Cite this entry
APA

psalmody. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psalmody

MLA

“psalmody.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psalmody. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “psalmody,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psalmody.

Source: psalmody on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.