Kyrie eleison

[ Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church keer-ee-ey e-ley-uh-sawn, -son, -suhn; Greek Orthodox Church kee-ree-e e-le-ee-sawn ]

/ Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church ˈkɪər iˌeɪ ɛˈleɪ əˌsɔn, -ˌsɒn, -sən; Greek Orthodox Church ˈki ri ɛ ɛˈlɛ i sɔn /

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noun

(italics) the brief petition “Lord, have mercy,” used in various offices of the Greek Orthodox Church and of the Roman Catholic Church.

the brief response or petition in services in the Anglican Church, beginning with the words, “Lord, have mercy upon us.”

Also called Kyr·i·e . a musical setting of either of these.

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Origin of Kyrie eleison

1300–50; Middle English kyrieleyson<Medieval Latin, Late Latin Kyrie eleīson<Late Greek Kýrie eléēson Lord, have mercy

Words nearby Kyrie eleison

Kyra, Kyrgyz, Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz Steppe, Kyriale, Kyrie eleison, kyte, kythe, Kythera, kytoon, kyu

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Kyrie eleison in a sentence

The fire was then kindled, and his voice as it audibly prayed in the words of the “Kyrie Eleison” was soon stifled in the smoke.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 1|Various
The first, which was the Kyrie Eleison, is in D major, a movement full of fire and deep religious feeling.
Life of Beethoven|Anton Schindler
"Kyrie eleison," repeated the throng in that murmur which runs over all heads, like the waves of a troubled sea.
Notre-Dame de Paris|Victor Hugo
Maria Nuova, and the "Kyrie Eleison" was chaunted a hundred times.
Walks in Rome|Augustus J.C. Hare

Louder and louder sounded the "Kyrie Eleison," with more and more valour and joy of victory the Christians pressed forward.
Pine Needles|Susan Bogert Warner

British Dictionary definitions for Kyrie eleison

Kyrie eleison

/ (ˈkɪrɪɪ əˈleɪsən) /

noun

a formal invocation used in the liturgies of the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Anglican Churches

a musical setting of this

Often shortened to: Kyrie

Word Origin for Kyrie eleison

C14: via Late Latin from Late Greek kurie, eleēson Lord, have mercy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012