English
psalm
Psalm may come from Middle English salm ‘a psalm’.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500salm‘a psalm’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 2012psalm
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500salm‘a psalm’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 2012psalm
Earliest quotation: 2012, George D. Manjounes, Good Morning: “I psalmed like a Moslem high in his mosque.…”
The story
From Middle English salm or psalme, from Old English psealm, later reinforced from Old French psalme (modern French psaume), both from Latin psalmus, from Ancient Greek ψαλμός (psalmós, “the sound emanating from twitching or twanging perhaps with the hands or fingers, mostly of musical strings”) (from ψάλλω (psállō, “to make a sound by striking, touching, plucking, rubbing, twanging, or vibrating”)), but later in New Testament times the meaning of ψαλμός (psalmós) evolved from its Classical meaning of "a tune played to the harp" to a more general tune that could be played with any instrument; even a song sung with or without musical accompaniment. By the Byzantine Period, it lost all of its instrumental nuances.
Linked words
through Ancient Greek ψάλλω ‘to make a sound by striking, touching,…’
Today it means
noun A sacred song; a poetical composition for use in the praise or worship of God.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English salm / psalm