Home › Glossary › Letter E

evensong

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The evening prayer service in Christian liturgy, especially Anglican; vespers; also refers to the musical setting of this service or evening devotions generally.

Detailed Definition
“Evensong” evokes twilight devotion, common in meditative and pastoral poetry. It symbolizes closure, peace, or divine presence at day’s end. Poets use it to mark temporal transition or spiritual reflection, often contrasting sacred calm with worldly chaos. Its musical connotation enriches imagery of harmony, rest, and communal ritual in lyrical and elegiac traditions.
Example
Example in poetry:
"At evensong, the bells called the weary home," in a village lyric; In medieval monastic poetry: "Evensong and matins mark the day"; "They met at evensong, beneath the chapel yew"; Tennyson uses "evensong" in In Memoriam for twilight prayer; "The lark’s last note blends with evensong"; Evensong hushes the world in peace.
Additional Notes
“Evensong” blends liturgical ritual with poetic musicality; in devotional or meditative verse, it marks the day’s close with peace, reflection, or communal harmony, often contrasted with chaotic daylight concerns.
Also Known As
evening prayer vespers
Skip to main content