psalmic

Psamic is an adjective used to describe things related to psalms, the sacred songs and prayers found in the Book of Psalms and related biblical material. The term derives from the Latin psalmus and Greek psalmos, ultimately tracing to the Hebrew mizmor, a term for musical praise or singing. In English, psalmic is chiefly encountered in biblical studies, theology, and liturgical contexts.

In scholarly usage, psalmic refers to the textual and literary characteristics of the psalms. This can include their language, imagery, and rhetorical features such as parallelism, vivid metaphor, and fervent prayer or praise. The term may also describe poetry or hymns modeled on the psalms, or the stylistic influence of the Psalter on later religious writing. While closely related, psalmic is sometimes contrasted with psalmodic, the latter emphasizing the performance or musical rendering of psalms, whereas psalmic can apply to both content and form.

In practice, psalmic language appears in sermons, hymnody, and liturgical prayers that draw on psalm verses or imitate their cadence and themes. The Psalter’s impact extends across Jewish and Christian traditions, where psalmic elements appear in daily offices, hymns, and contemporary devotional poetry. The term is primarily a scholarly or descriptive label rather than a common everyday descriptor, used to identify features or allusions tied to the Book of Psalms.