psalmus

Psalmus is the Latin word for psalm, a sacred song or hymn used in Jewish and Christian worship. The term comes from the Greek psalmos, via Latin, and is cognate with the English word psalm. In Latin literature, psalmi or psalmus appear in translations of the Hebrew Bible and in medieval liturgical texts.

In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Psalms (Sefer Tehillim) contains 150 poems collected over centuries. Traditional attributions assign many psalms to David, while others name Asaph, the Sons of Korah, or remain anonymous. The psalms range from ecstatic praise to deep lament and cover themes of prayer, thanksgiving, repentance, and royal authority. Some psalms are acrostic or form family groups, and several reflect liturgical uses in temple worship.

In Christian use, the Psalter has been central to liturgy since antiquity. Latin translations, especially Jerome’s Vulgate, circulated in monasteries and churches. Psalms were integrated into the daily offices and the Mass, and many were set to music from plainchant to polyphony. Gregorian chant employs psalm tones for recitation, and psalms are assigned to specific hours in the Liturgy of the Hours; similar roles exist in Orthodox practice.

Today, psalmus mostly appears in discussions of Latin-language sources and historical liturgy. In modern scholarship, psalms are studied as biblical poetry, liturgical practice, and musical settings, while the everyday term psalm remains widely used in other languages.