evensong

C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈivənˌsɔŋ/ UK /ˈiːvənsɒŋ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the Anglican service of evening prayer; vespers

The choir gathered for evensong as the light faded in the nave.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the anglican service of... vespersevening prayercompline

Opposites

matins

Word family

Related forms even song evening

Etymology

From Old English ǣfensang, a compound of ǣfen 'evening' + sang 'song', modelled on Latin vesperae.

ǣfen Old English sang Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# evensong

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈivənˌsɔŋ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈiːvənsɒŋ/

## Meanings
1. the Anglican service of evening prayer; vespers

## Examples
- The choir gathered for evensong as the light faded in the nave.

## Synonyms
- vespers
- evening prayer
- compline

## Antonyms
- matins

## Related Forms
- even
- song
- evening

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ǣfen
- Root: sang

## Etymology
From Old English ǣfensang, a compound of ǣfen 'evening' + sang 'song', modelled on Latin vesperae.

## AI Etymology
Evensong comes from Old English ǣfensang, a compound of ǣfen 'evening' + sang 'song', modelled on Latin vesperae. Morphologically, the form is compositional, with the named elements combining to produce the modern spelling and sense. In present use, it is used as a noun meaning "the Anglican service of evening prayer; vespers", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes related forms such as even, song, and evening, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Old English ǣfen and Old English sang, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood is marked by vespers, evening prayer, and compline on one side and contrasts such as matins on the other, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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