AN'THEM, noun [Gr. against, and a hymn, from to sing. See Hymn.] A hymn sung in alternate parts; but in modern usage, a sacred tune or piece of music set to words, taken from the psalms or other parts of the scriptures, first introduced into church service in Elizabeth's reign.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI