Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Hymn \Hymn\, n. [OE. hympne, ympne, F. hymne, OF. also ymne, L.
   hymnus, Gr. ?; perh. akin to ? web, ? to weave, and so to E.
   weave.]
   An ode or song of praise or adoration; especially, a
   religious ode, a sacred lyric; a song of praise or
   thankgiving intended to be used in religious service; as, the
   Homeric hymns; Watts' hymns.

         Admonishing one another in psalms and hymns. --Col.
                                                  iii. 16.

         Where angels first should practice hymns, and string
         Their tuneful harps.                     --Dryden.

   {Hymn book}, a book containing a collection of hymns, as for
      use in churches; a hymnal.