liturgy

American  

[lit-er-jee] / ˈlɪt ər dʒi /

noun

• liturgies
  plural

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.

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liturgy British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antiliturgy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• liturgies
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

liturgy liturgies

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

But this is merely liturgy now, no longer a block to understanding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Simon partially follows the traditional Catholic mass liturgy with new texts by Courtney Ware Lett and Marc Bamuthi Joseph that work through doubt and oppression, ultimately celebrating life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2025

They're therefore absent from the liturgy and the Eucharist.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2024

The ceremony contained the full funeral liturgy, omitting only the final portion where the congregation is asked to give the deceased a final kiss.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

And it launched a new app for liturgies in the Basilica, which will allow pilgrims to follow mass by Pope Leo XIV in 60 languages via their smartphones.

From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026

The blessings “may be carried out providing they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies, nor at the same time as a civil union,” CNN reported.

From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2023

"Typically, retired cardinals continue to reside in Rome after stepping down from their positions, often remaining active in papal liturgies and ceremonial duties," he said.

From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2023

The tension between clinging to old beliefs and antiquated liturgies, versus jettisoning them in search of a more profound and complex truth, animates “The Travelers.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2023

Much better is the state of preservation of the precanonical liturgies, or long song services constructed by simply joining a series of kišubs or songs of prostration.

From Sumerian Liturgies and Psalms by Stephen Langdon

Related Words

• observance
• rite
• ritual