Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Gloria \Glo"ri*a\, n. [L., glory.] (Eccl.)
   (a) A doxology (beginning Gloria Patri, Glory be to the
       Father), sung or said at the end of the Psalms in the
       service of the Roman Catholic and other churches.
   (b) A portion of the Mass (Gloria in Excelsis Deo, Glory be
       to God on high), and also of the communion service in
       some churches. In the Episcopal Church the version in
       English is used.
   (c) The musical setting of a gloria.