Hymeneal

[Dr. Goodword]

• hymeneal •

Pronunciation: hai-mê-nee-êl • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: 1. (Adjective) Related to marriage or a wedding. 2. (Noun) A wedding song or poem. 3. (Noun) Nuptials, a wedding ceremony.

Notes: Today's word has no relatives with a similar meaning. There is little to say about it except to be careful of the pronunciation, since English would allow the accent to fall on any of the first three syllables.

In Play: Today's lovely offering provides a contrast to nuptial when that word simply isn't enough: "The hymeneal decorations for their nuptials in the church were positively resplendent!" Remember that it is also associated with music and poetry written for the occasion of a wedding: "He wrote a beautiful hymeneal sonnet for his bride that would have made her very happy had he not slipped at one point and mentioned the name of his last girl friend."

Word History: This Good Word is an example of just how far the meaning of a word can drift over a long period of time. It is an adjective related to the nouns hymen "membrane" and Hymen, the Greek god of marriages. These words come from Proto-Indo-European syu- "sew" + -men, a noun suffix. The root came to English as sew, but in Latin it became suere "to sew, stitch", whose past participle, sutus, gave us suture. What about the Kamasutra, which defines marital pleasure according to Hindu law? It comes from kamah "love" + sutram "thread", with which we sew. (Of course, we all love Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira, one of the stalwart editors of this series, when he sends us lovely Good Words like today's.)

[gwray]

I wrote a hymeneal hymn text for a renewal of wedding vows for our our 25th wedding anniversary. The few hymeneal hymns in the hymn book tended to focus attention on a novice bridal couple. I wrote a hymn focused of the celebration of the community and their obligation to love one another.

Kind Wedding Guest

Kind Wedding Guest of Cana, please grace our feast today.
Grant ample cup of blessing to all of us we pray.
For we are celebrating. Our cheerful voices raise
With joy and jubilation. The love of God we praise.

Gift us with transformation. Like water into wine,
transform our very being -- exalt our hearts and minds.
Bright hope infuse our being. Strong faith our souls secure.
This world is ever-changing; the love of God is sure.

Though miracles astound us, please help us comprehend
the one-on-one compassion and care that you extend.
Your pardon and forgiveness, your touch to ease our pain,
Your words to soothe or challenge the love of God make plain

Grand miracles aren’t needed to do as you require.
To love God and our neighbor is what you most desire.
Our neighbor stands beside us, a mission close to home.
May our each word and action the love of God make known.


Tune Thornbury
Alt. Ellacombe

© Gordon Wray, 2005

[gwray]

Robert Service wrote a humorous ballad, The Baldness of Chewed Ear https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-bal ... hewed-ear/, whose recent marriage is blamed for his losing hair. It contains the line

But in old Hymen's jack-pot, it's a most amazin' thing,
Them flowin' locks jest disappeared like snow-balls in the Spring

[Philip Hudson]

A lovely poem gwray.

[Philip Hudson]

gwray: Thanks for introducing me to Thornbury. I am very familiar it Ellacombe.