martyrology

American  

[mahr-tuh-rol-uh-jee] / ˌmɑr təˈrɒl ə dʒi /

noun

plural

martyrologies

1. the branch of knowledge dealing with the lives of martyrs.

2. a history of martyrs.

3. such histories collectively.

4. a list of martyrs.

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martyrology British  

/ ˌmɑːtərəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ˌmɑːtəˈrɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. an official list of martyrs

2. Christianity the study of the lives of the martyrs

3. a historical account of the lives of martyrs

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Other Word Forms

• martyrologic adjective
• martyrological adjective
• martyrologist noun

Etymology

Origin of martyrology

1590–1600; < Medieval Latin martyrologium history of martyrs < Late Greek martyrológion. See martyr, -o-, -logy

Example Sentences

According to the 1916 edition of the Roman Martyrology, Corona saw Victor being tortured for his Christian beliefs and had a vision of two crowns falling from the sky, one for him and the other for her.

From Slate

Halberstadt took the title for his memoir from his first-grade history textbook, a graphic martyrology enumerating the bold deeds of youthful patriots whose bravery got them “hanged, shot, immolated, poisoned, left to freeze in the snow.”

From New York Times

The Law and Justice government was, he said, “vested in martyrology’’.

From The Guardian

In 1972, for instance, he did a gallery show “with 10 paintings named after the 10 rabbis of the Yom Kippur martyrology,” he recalled.

From New York Times

But this martyrology, which is accompanied by a wall listing the civil rights legislation of recent decades, is presented as a kind of closure.

From New York Times