All words

psalmody

Meaning

The practice or art of setting religious songs to music, particularly those from sacred texts.

Examples by difficulty

Basic: Simple, everyday vocabulary — the easiest to read.

The quiet cantor led the service, his voice resonating with deep feeling. He expertly guided the congregation through the ancient verses, each note a prayer. This solemn psalmody, the setting of sacred words to music, filled the hall, offering solace to all present.

After the long journey, the weary pilgrims found solace. As the sun dipped below the jagged peaks, a hush fell over the camp. Then, a voice began, soft at first, then joined by others, their voices weaving together in a beautiful psalmody, a heartfelt song echoing the ancient words of their faith.

The weary lighthouse keeper hummed softly, his voice a low rumble against the crashing waves. Each verse of the ancient maritime prayer, a familiar act of psalmody, brought a small comfort. He imagined the souls lost at sea finding peace in these sacred melodies he sang.

The church choir director, bless his heart, tried his best at psalmody. He thought "choir" meant one person singing alone, badly. His grand attempts at setting scripture to music sounded more like a goat gargling marbles. The congregation prayed for his speedy retirement.

The old wizard, Bartholomew, grumbled about his dragon's off-key screeching. He wished for some proper psalmody, the art of setting holy tunes to music, rather than Fafnir's ear-splitting wails that scared the gnomes. Bartholomew craved divine harmonies, not a fiery opera of doom.

Normal: Standard, everyday language.

The choir's solemn voices filled the cathedral, their psalmody a profound expression of faith. Each note, carefully chosen to uplift and inspire, guided the congregation through the ancient words. It was a powerful reminder of music's ability to connect us to something sacred.

The lone lighthouse keeper, tending the lamp through a storm, found solace in the quiet psalmody he practiced. Each verse, a melody woven from the ancient prayers, echoed in the stone tower, a gentle anchor against the raging sea and the gnawing loneliness of his vigil.

The weary villagers gathered, their voices raw from the day's toil. As the elder began the familiar verses, a collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd. This simple act of psalmody, their practiced art of setting these ancient songs to music, brought a flicker of peace to their hard lives.

My uncle insists his living room karaoke sessions are a form of profound psalmody, transforming dusty hymnals into disco anthems. He's convinced his off-key renditions of "Amazing Grace" are divinely inspired, even if the cat hides under the sofa during his spiritual serenades.

The monastery's ancient plumbing system was truly a marvel, gurgling and hissing in what the monks jokingly called their "sacred symphony." They even developed a peculiar form of psalmody, setting the noises of the leaky pipes and groaning cisterns to a surprisingly catchy, if slightly damp, melody.

Advanced: Richer vocabulary that stretches an upper-level reader.

Her voice, filled with quiet reverence, led the congregation through the morning's psalmody. Each note thoughtfully placed, weaving the ancient words of scripture into a tapestry of shared faith. It was more than just singing; it was the sacred art of bringing divine text to life through melody.

The elder's voice, raspy but firm, led the sparse congregation through the ancient verses. It wasn't just singing; it was a profound act of psalmody, a deliberate craft to make the weight of those divine words resonate, connecting their present struggles to enduring faith.

He practiced psalmody with quiet devotion, his voice a low hum as he interpreted the ancient hymns for the evening service. Each carefully chosen note was a prayer, shaping the sacred texts into a melody that resonated with the quiet grief of the small congregation.

Brother Bartholomew's enthusiastic psalmody was, shall we say, *unique*. His attempts to set the humble lament of the prodigal son to music resulted in a cacophony that made even the stoic deacon contemplate a career in mime. The congregation's polite applause was less about appreciation and more about sheer relief it was over.

The medieval monk, Bartholomew, found his true calling not in illuminated manuscripts, but in the boisterous psalmody of barnyard animals. He painstakingly cataloged the squawks and bleats, composing intricate, if somewhat pungent, hymns for his flock of musically inclined geese.

Challenging: Rare, high-register vocabulary for serious word lovers.

During the somber vigil, the congregants found solace in the collective psalmody, their voices blending in earnest testament to faith. This practice, the art of setting sacred texts to music, offered a profound connection, each measured note a balm to their troubled spirits.

The lone cantor, his voice raw with generations of devotion, meticulously practiced the ancient psalmody. Each measured phrase of the sacred text, painstakingly rendered into melody, was a testament to enduring faith, a bulwark against the encroaching silence. His dedication to this art sustained his congregation.

The hospice chaplain found solace in the practiced psalmody, her voice a steady balm as she set the ancient verses to a simple, somber melody. Each repetition of the sacred text, imbued with newfound musicality, brought a flicker of peace to the room, a gentle respite from the pervasive sorrow.

The monks, despite their vows of solemnity, engaged in a rather boisterous psalmody, their zealous rendition of ancient canticles often devolving into cacophonous, improvisational outbursts. One particularly portly friar, known for his prodigious lung capacity, insisted on elaborating each verse with operatic embellishments, much to the consternation of his more stoic brethren.

The esteemed guild of celestial cartographers, grappling with the existential ennui of mapping nebulae, discovered that proficient psalmody, the art of setting divine hymns to music, proved surprisingly efficacious. Their impromptu Gregorian chants about cosmic dust bunnies and stray quasars echoed through the firmament, a harmonious antidote to celestial melancholy.

Difficulty

Advanced — Less frequent words that stretch an upper-level vocabulary.

Appears in

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