Canticle
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A canticle is a hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms) taken from the Bible. The term is often expanded to included ancient non-Biblical hymns such as the Te Deum and certain psalms used liturgically. Its meaning can be further expanded to include:
- A song, especially a hymn (as in "Canticle of Canticles", another way to refer to the biblical book Song of Solomon.)
- A canto or division of a poem
Examples of Biblical canticles:
- Benedicite or Song of the Three Holy Children (Daniel III, 57–88 in the Apocrypha)
- Benedictus or Canticle of Zechariah (Luke I, 68–79)
- Magnificat or Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Luke I 46-55)
- Nunc dimittis
From the Latin "canticulum", a diminutive of "canticum", song.pl:Kantyczka