liturgy
Americannoun
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a form of public worship; ritual.
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a collection of formularies for public worship.
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a particular arrangement of services.
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a particular form or type of the Eucharistic service.
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the service of the Eucharist, especially this service Divine Liturgy in the Eastern Church.
noun
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the forms of public services officially prescribed by a Church
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Also called: Divine Liturgy. (often capital) Eastern Churches the Eucharistic celebration
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a particular order or form of public service laid down by a Church
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of liturgy
1550–60; < Late Latin lītūrgia < Greek leitourgía public service, ecclesiastical Greek: Eucharist, equivalent to leitourg ( ós ) minister + -ia -y 3
Explanation
A liturgy is like a script for a religious service, the official set of rules for performing a religious ceremony. Liturgy has everything to do with the way people worship in public. In fact, this noun comes to us from the Greek word leitourgia, which means "public service, worship of the gods." In Christianity, The Liturgy is a specific service for the sacrament of the Eucharist. But every religion has their own form of liturgy or set way of performing certain worship rituals.
Vocabulary lists containing liturgy
Sapiens
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This Week In Culture: Current Events Vocab for September 26–October 2, 2020
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"Be Prepared" by Vera Brosgol
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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.
Some of the hymns and liturgy were the same as those sung by Anglicans around the world, but there were also differences, like the upbeat worship music that had the congregation dancing in the pews.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
As we enter the Christmas season, Garcia noted that the Christmas liturgy is an annual reminder that joy is possible even in the darkest times, and that the two often go together.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025
The bakery runs on its own kind of liturgy: a punctual 10:30 a.m. batch, and a second that might appear anytime between 4:30 and 6, the sort of unpredictability you start building your afternoon around.
From Salon • Dec. 7, 2025
But this is merely liturgy now, no longer a block to understanding.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
Parish priests recognized and encouraged my fascination with the liturgy.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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.
