breviary
Americannoun
-
Roman Catholic Church. a book containing all the daily psalms, hymns, prayers, lessons, etc., necessary for reciting the office.
-
a book of daily prayers and readings in some other churches.
noun
-
RC Church a book of psalms, hymns, prayers, etc, to be recited daily by clerics in major orders and certain members of religious orders as part of the divine office
-
a similar book in the Orthodox Church
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of breviary
First recorded in 1540–50, breviary is from the Latin word breviārium an abridgment. See brevi-, -ary
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He had a worn leather breviary stuffed with prayers and Mass cards he’d been collecting for years, and he read through them all at the dining-room table every night during the 11 o’clock news.
From New York Times • May 26, 2020
Study the World Almanac: it is to be your breviary for a while .
From Time Magazine Archive
Father Laberge removed his shoes, climbed into his upper berth, and began reading his breviary.
From Time Magazine Archive
F.L.N. technicians have drawn up a "breviary of errors" made in the name of land reform in other emergent countries.
From Time Magazine Archive
Then, breviary in hand, one of the female teachers led us in singing hymns and reciting psalms.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
