adjective
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of or relating to public worship
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of or relating to the liturgy
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of liturgical
1635–45; < Medieval Latin lītūrgic ( us ) < Late Greek leitourgikós ministering ( leitourg ( ós ) minister + -ikos -ic; see liturgy) + -al 1
Explanation
Anything liturgical is related to a public religious service or ritual. An example of something liturgical is the Catholic service when the Eucharist (wine and sacramental bread, also known as the blood and body of Christ) is given. If you hear about a liturgical tradition or liturgical reading, you can be sure of one thing — it involves a religious service. The liturgy is a set way of doing a religious ritual, so anything liturgical usually happens in a church. Other times, a liturgical ceremony could be part of some other tradition, ritual, or service. Religious scholars and clergy are experts on liturgical matters.
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.
"It is an early example of the impact of the Liturgical Movement on church design with its highly unusual blue and white ceiling following the form of a medieval fan vault," Historic England said.
From BBC • Dec. 15, 2020
After leaving Ramparts in a dispute over editorial control, Mr. Colaianni became director of the Liturgical Conference, a Christian ecumenical organization in Washington committed to revitalizing worship.
From New York Times • Oct. 13, 2016
The vial will be placed in a "precious reliquary" prepared specially for the occasion by the Office of Papal Liturgical Celebrations.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2011
Episcopal Church this week is releasing the first 50,000 copies of its Standing Liturgical Commission's proposed draft for a new Prayer Book.
From Time Magazine Archive
Liturgical worship, understood in the largest sense the phrase can bear, means divine service rendered in accordance with an established form.
From A Short History of the Book of Common Prayer by Huntington, William Reed
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.
