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pericope

American  
[puh-rik-uh-pee] / pəˈrɪk əˌpi /

noun

pericopes, plural pericopae plural
  1. a selection or extract from a book.

  2. lection.


pericope British  
/ pəˈrɪkəpɪ, ˌpɛrɪˈkɒpɪk /

noun

  1. a selection from a book, esp a passage from the Bible read at religious services

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Etymology

Origin of pericope

1650–60; < Late Latin pericopē section < Greek perikopḗ a cutting, equivalent to peri- peri- + kopḗ a cutting

Explanation

A pericope is a short passage from a book, like the pericopes that are sometimes read aloud during a wedding ceremony. The Greek root of pericope is perikopē, which literally means "a cutting all around." In ancient Greece, the word was used to describe a bit of any book that was "cut out" or excerpted from the larger text, but it's come to refer mainly to Bible passages selected to read on special occasions, like weddings and funerals. Be careful not to confuse pericope with periscope!

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Vocabulary lists containing pericope

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.

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Note that the pericope de adulterâ is found in this Evan. as well as in Evann.

From A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, Vol. I. by Scrivener, Frederick Henry Ambrose

It contains the pericope de adultera in St. John, but in the Vulgate, not the Old Latin, text. r2.

From A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, Vol. II. by Scrivener, Frederick Henry Ambrose

In all four the pericope adulterae follows Luke xxi.

From A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, Vol. I. by Scrivener, Frederick Henry Ambrose

But it is equally certain that this pericope is an interpolation where it stands.

From Essays on the work entitled "Supernatural Religion" by Lightfoot, Joseph Barber

The pericope de adulterâ is supplied at the end of the codex—imperfect after verse 6.

From A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, Vol. I. by Scrivener, Frederick Henry Ambrose

Many of Miss Hoppe’s hymns have been written on the pericopes of the Church Year.

From The Story of Our Hymns by Ryden, Ernest Edwin

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