Word History Etymology Middle English antiphone, from Middle French, from Late Latin antiphona — more at anthem First Known Use 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2 Time Traveler The first known use of antiphon was in the 15th century See more words from the same century ...
Word History First Known Use 1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Time Traveler The first known use of antiphonary was in 1534 See more words from the same year Dictionary Entries Near antiphonary antiphonal organ antiphonary antiphone See More Nearby Entries ...
A reborrowing of the word which had becomeanthemin English (in Old Englishantefn,antifon) and lost its original meaning. also fromc. 1500 Entries linking toantiphon anthem(n.) Middle Englishanteme, from Old Englishontemn,antefn, "a composition (in prose or verse) sung in alternate parts...
word-forming element of Greek origin meaning "against, opposed to, opposite of, instead," shortened toant-before vowels and-h-, from Old Frenchanti-and directly from Latinanti-, from Greekanti(prep.) "over, against, opposite; instead, in the place of; as good as; at the price of; fo...
"hymn" or directly from Medieval Latinantiphona, from Greekantiphona, fromanti-"over against" (see anti-) +phone"voice," from PIE root*bha-(2) "to speak, tell, say" (see fame (n.)). A re-adoption of the word which had become anthem in English and lost its original meaning....