sursum corda

[ soor-soom kawr-dah, kohr- ]

noun

, Ecclesiastical.

1. the words “Lift up your hearts,” addressed by the celebrant of the Mass to the congregation just before the preface.

sursum corda

/ ˈsɜːsəm ˈkɔːdə /

noun

1. RC Church a Latin versicle meaning Lift up your hearts, said by the priest at Mass
2. a cry of exhortation, hope, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of sursum corda¹

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1550–60

Word History and Origins

Origin of sursum corda¹

C16: Latin, literally: up hearts

Example Sentences

Do you remember the passage where Burke alludes to the old warning of the Church—Sursum corda?

From Project Gutenberg

It calls to the reader, as the early Christian litanies did to the worshipper, Sursum corda, Raise your thoughts!

From Project Gutenberg

And it means also Sursum corda (Lift up your hearts) whenever the difficulties and sorrows of the desert seem too much.

From Project Gutenberg

On the plate of George Bancroft, the late historian, a chubby cherub bears a panel on which is the motto, Sursum corda.

From Project Gutenberg

The general reader will never forgive such portraits as that of the elder Barbier, who, after shouting, 'Sursum Corda!

From Project Gutenberg