Definition

1. Noun:
   • A Christian evening prayer service: "Evensong" is the traditional name for the Anglican Church's daily evening service of worship, featuring prayers, psalms, and canticles as prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer.
   • A canonical hour: In the traditional liturgy of the Western Christian Church, "Evensong" refers specifically to the office of Vespers, which is the sixth of the seven canonical hours, celebrated in the early evening.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The choir sings beautifully at the cathedral's daily evensong.
  • Many find attending evensong on Sunday to be a peaceful way to end the weekend.

Advanced Usage

• "to attend evensong": to go to or be present at the evening prayer service.

  • Visitors are welcome to attend evensong at 5:30 PM.

• "Evensong and Benediction": a combined service where the evening office is followed by a blessing with the consecrated host (common in some Anglo-Catholic traditions).

  • The parish offers Evensong and Benediction on the first Sunday of the month.

Variants and Related Words

• Vespers (n): The equivalent evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and other Western Christian traditions.

  • The monks gather in the chapel for Vespers.

• Evening Prayer (n): A more modern or generic term often used interchangeably with "evensong," especially in contemporary Anglican contexts.

Synonyms

• Evening Prayer: The direct, descriptive synonym.
• Vespers: The term used in many other Christian denominations for a similar evening office.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "As regular as evensong": Used to describe something that happens with great punctuality and consistency.
  • His afternoon walk was as regular as evensong.

Noun

1. (Anglican Church) a daily evening service with prayers prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer
2. the sixth of the seven canonical hours of the divine office; early evening; now often made a public service on Sundays