hymnals are distributed among the congregation before the church service so everyone can join in the singing
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Similar cases include 3M’s accidental invention of Post-it Notes (first used as ad hoc bookmarks for hymnals); Shopify’s pivot from selling snowboards to enabling e-commerce infrastructure; and Instagram’s shift from a cluttered check-in app to a focused photo-sharing platform.—
Kumar Rakesh Ranjan,
The Conversation,
27 Apr. 2026 Onstage, musicians scroll through New Age worship lyrics on iPhones propped on tripods, where hymnals once might have been.—
Tara Palmeri,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026 The Shaker hymnal, in the hands of the composer Daniel Blumberg, becomes a maddeningly infectious soundtrack.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
9 Jan. 2026 Some objects come with a bit of mystery, like this hymnal cover.—
Molly Guthrey,
Twin Cities,
19 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hymnal
Word History
Etymology
Middle English hymnale, from Medieval Latin, from Latin hymnus