Gloria in Excelsis

noun phrase

Gloria in Ex·​cel·​sis -ˌin-eks-ˈchel-səs How to pronounce Gloria in Excelsis (audio)
-ek-ˈshel-
: a Christian liturgical hymn having the verse form of the Psalms

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, glory (be to God) on high

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Gloria in Excelsis was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near Gloria in Excelsis

Gloria

Gloria in Excelsis

Gloria Patri

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Gloria in Excelsis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gloria%20in%20Excelsis. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
collage with pinking shears decanter bustle sculling on a purple background
Name That Thing MegaQuiz: Vol. 5 Test your visual vocabulary!