acroteleutic

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀκροτελεύτιον (akroteleútion, “extreme end”).

Why this word is great

ACROTELEUTIC — [Noun] The concluding phrase of a verse or psalm, designed to be sung by the congregation in response. From Ancient Greek ἀκροτελεύτιον (akroteleútion, "extreme end"), combined with the English suffix -ic. Unlike "refrain" (which cycles through a work like a recurring echo) or "doxology" (which elevates praise but need not invite participation), the acroteleutic is a shared punctuation—a breath exhaled in unison. It is the rustle of robes as worshippers rise to meet the final line, the swell of voices in a candlelit nave, the moment when liturgy becomes lived experience. A reminder that even in sacred texts, the last word belongs to the people.

noun

The end of a verse or psalm, or something added to it, to be sung by the people by way of a response.“This mode of conducting the psalmody was sometimes called singing acrostics and acroteleutics, and is the apparent origin of the Gloria Patri repeated at the end of each psalm in our liturgical services.”