† 1. Service of the church; a religious life. Obs.
c. 1340. Cursor M., 10606 (Trin.). Þei had … ȝyuen hir to þe chirche seruise.
2. The public worship of a church; now spec. (in England) the order of Common Prayer of the Church of England.
a. 1555. Bradford, Wks., 394. Company not with them, specially in their church-service.
1587. Golding, De Mornay, xvii. 269. It appeareth … by the books of Cerimonies of all nations, all whose Churchseruices are nothing but sacrifices. Ibid., xx. 314. That it direct us and al our Churchseruices vnto the true God.
1670. H. Stubbe, Censure, etc., 16. Part of the Church Service, now imposed on the Communicants to hold.
1883. J. W. Sherer, At Home & in India, 38. Church service was held … in the parade-ground.
3. pop. A service-book; esp. a book containing, in addition to the Book of Common Prayer, the proper lessons, metrical version of the psalms, etc.
1859. Sala, Tw. round Clock (1861), 178. Nine church services, richly bound.
