vesper
[ ves-per ]
/ ˈvɛs pər /
noun
(initial capital letter)
the evening star, especially Venus; Hesperus.
Also called vesper bell.
a bell rung at evening.
vespers, (sometimes initial capital letter) Ecclesiastical.
- a religious service in the late afternoon or the evening.
- the sixth of the seven canonical hours, or the service for it, occurring in the late afternoon or the evening.
- Roman Catholic Church. a part of the office to be said in the evening by those in major orders, frequently made a public ceremony in the afternoons or evenings of Sundays and holy days.
- Anglican Church. evensong(def 1).
Archaic.
evening.
adjective
of, pertaining to, appearing in, or proper to the evening.
of or relating to vespers.
Origin of vesper
1350–1400; Middle English, partly < Latin: evening, evening star; partly < Old French
vespres evening service < Medieval Latin
vesperās, accusative plural of Latin
vespera, feminine variant of
vesper; cognate with Greek
hésperos; akin to
west
Words nearby vesper
Example sentences from the Web for vespers
British Dictionary definitions for vespers (1 of 3)
vespers
/ (ˈvɛspəz) /
noun (functioning as singular or plural)
mainly RC Church
the sixth of the seven canonical hours of the divine office, originally fixed for the early evening and now often made a public service on Sundays and major feast days
another word for evensong (def. 1)
British Dictionary definitions for vespers (2 of 3)
vesper
/ (ˈvɛspə) /
noun
an evening prayer, service, or hymn
an archaic word for evening
(modifier)
of or relating to vespers
See also
vespers
Word Origin for vesper
C14: from Latin: evening, the evening star; compare Greek
hesperos evening; see
west
British Dictionary definitions for vespers (3 of 3)
Vesper
/ (ˈvɛspə) /
noun
the planet Venus, when appearing as the evening star