gregarian chant
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Plain-song; a mediaeval system of church music, so called because it was introduced into the service by Gregory the Great (600).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “gregarian chant” mean?
Plain-song; a mediaeval system of church music, so called because it was introduced into the service by Gregory the Great (600).
Is “gregarian chant” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.