English · Idiom Historical

nunc dimittis

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

The Song of Simeon (Luke ii, 29), "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace," so called from the opening words of the Latin version, Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Do mine.

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.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “nunc dimittis” mean?

The Song of Simeon (Luke ii, 29), "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace," so called from the opening words of the Latin version, Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Do mine.

Is “nunc dimittis” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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