Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Lauds In the Roman Liturgy of today
Lauds designates an office composed of psalms and canticles,
usually recited after Matins. I. THE TERM LAUDS AND THE HOUR OF
THE OFFICE The word Lauds (i.e. praises) explains the particular
character of this office, the end of which is to praise God. All
the Canonical Hours have, of course, the same object, but Lauds
may be said to have this characteristic par excellence. The name
is certainly derived from the three last psalms in the office
(148, 149, 150), in all of which the word laudate is repeated
frequently, and to such an extent that originally the word Lauds
designated not, as it does nowadays, the whole office, but only
the end, that is to say, these three psalms with the conclusion.
The title Ainoi (praises) has been retained in Greek. St.
Benedict also employs this term to designate the last three
psalms; post haec [viz, the canticle] sequantur Laudes (Regula,
cap. xiii). In the fifth and sixth centuries the Office of the
Lauds was ca