Kyrie eleison
Americannoun
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(italics) the brief petition “Lord, have mercy,” used in various offices of the Greek Orthodox Church and of the Roman Catholic Church.
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the brief response or petition in services in the Anglican Church, beginning with the words, “Lord, have mercy upon us.”
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Also called Kyrie. a musical setting of either of these.
noun
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a formal invocation used in the liturgies of the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Anglican Churches
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a musical setting of this
Etymology
Origin of Kyrie eleison
1300–50; Middle English kyrieleyson < Medieval Latin, Late Latin Kyrie eleīson < Late Greek Kýrie eléēson Lord, have mercy
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.
From the majestic opening statement of the Kyrie eleison the bloom and richness of the choral sound gloriously resonated within Carnegie Hall.
From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2012
Mr. Suzuki’s approach was clear from the opening Kyrie eleison, which begins with the chorus, fortified by the orchestra, singing anguished cries of “Lord, have mercy.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 23, 2011
With elegiac melancholy, Beckett intones a Kyrie eleison without God.
From Time Magazine Archive
The man upon the ladder was the same that had listened to the "Kyrie eleison" from without, and before it concluded had made his way inside: the Duke of Buckingham.
From Mistress Penwick by Payne, Dutton
Aunt Isabel fell on her knees and prayed the Kyrie eleison.
From Friars and Filipinos An Abridged Translation of Dr. Jose Rizal's Tagalog Novel, 'Noli Me Tangere.' by Rizal, José
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.
