Litany

From Nordan Symposia
Jump to navigationJump to search
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Lighterstill.jpg

Litany-of-echoes.jpg

Etymology

Middle English letanie, from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French, from Late Latin litania, from Late Greek litaneia, from Greek, entreaty, from litanos supplicant

Definitions

  • 1 : a prayer consisting of a series of invocations and supplications by the leader with alternate responses by the congregation
  • 2 a : a resonant or repetitive chant <a litany of cheering phrases — Herman Wouk> b : a usually lengthy recitation or enumeration <a familiar litany of complaints> c : a sizable series or set <a litany of problems>

Description

A litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Jewish worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes from the Latin litania and the Ancient Greek: λιτανεία (litaneía), which in turn comes from Ancient Greek: λιτή (litê), meaning "supplication".