Stabat Mater, sta'bat mater, a noted Latin hymn of the Middle Ages. The name is taken from the first two words of the hymn, beginning: Stabat mater dolorosa Juxta crucem lacrymosa Dum pendebat Filius. "The sad mother stood by the cross weeping, whilst her son hung there." The authorship is not known certainly. The hymn was placed in the Roman missal to be sung at the feast of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. It is universally acknowledged to be one of the finest metrical compositions in any language. It is famous for beauty both of language and of thought. See HYMN.