anthem

 
Pronunciation: /ˈanθəm/

noun

  • 1a rousing or uplifting song identified with a particular group, body, or cause: the song became the anthem for hippy activists
  • (also national anthem) a solemn patriotic song officially adopted by a country as an expression of national identity: the crowd stood and sang the national anthem we decided that the match would not have the anthems of either country as a prelude
  • 2a musical setting of a religious text to be sung by a choir during a church service, especially in Anglican or Protestant Churches.

Origin:

Old English antefn, antifne (denoting a composition sung antiphonally), from late Latin antiphona (see antiphon). The spelling with th, which began in the 16th century, was on the pattern of similar words such as Antony, Anthony