liturgy

[lit-er-jee]

noun

plural

liturgies 

1. a form of public worship; ritual.

2. a collection of formularies for public worship.

3. a particular arrangement of services.

4. a particular form or type of the Eucharistic service.

5. the service of the Eucharist, especially this service Divine Liturgy in the Eastern Church.

liturgy

/ ˈlɪtədʒɪ /

noun

1. the forms of public services officially prescribed by a Church

2. Also called: Divine Liturgy. (often capital) Eastern Churches the Eucharistic celebration

3. a particular order or form of public service laid down by a Church

Other Word Forms

• antiliturgy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of liturgy¹

1550–60; < Late Latin lītūrgia < Greek leitourgía public service, ecclesiastical Greek: Eucharist, equivalent to leitourg ( ós ) minister + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of liturgy¹

C16: via Medieval Latin, from Greek leitourgia, from leitourgos minister, from leit- people + ergon work

Example Sentences

There is, for instance, a resurgence of traditional liturgy around the world, despite the efforts of Pope Francis to suppress it.

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"The shared commitment to love, to pray, to teach and to be an example – made in the baptismal liturgy – is made within the fellowship of the church," he said.

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First, the words to the Our Father should not be changed, especially in the liturgy.

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In addition to the longstanding liturgy, the service includes a silent procession to the Salem Moravian Graveyard, also called “God’s Acre,” and concludes among the graves that go back generations.

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It didn’t happen overnight, but freedom from the anti-communist liturgy, coupled with the disastrous second Iraq War, meant that conservatives went back to the future.

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Related Words

• observance 
• rite 
• ritual