introit · noun — A prayer, typically part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible, read or sung at the start of Mass while or immediately after the priest ascends to the altar. It carries an Arena rating of 1641, earned across 22 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, introit ranks #1,207 of 17,163 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,765 of 17,163 for Most Sublime Words, #3,774 of 17,197 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #5,357 of 17,146 for Most Storied Words.
introit is pronounced /ˈɪntɹɔɪt/.
Why “introit” is a great word
A chant or antiphon, most often a psalm, performed as the celebrant proceeds to the altar at the start of Mass, its name from Late Middle English introite, borrowed from Anglo-Norman introït or directly from Latin introitus ('entrance, beginning'), from introire ('to go in'), from intro ('inward') + ire ('to go'). Unlike a 'prelude,' a general introductory piece, or an 'anthem,' a choral composition of praise, the introit is defined by its precise liturgical moment: the threshold of the sacred rite. It is the single voice rising in the cool, incense-tinged air before the congregation joins, the rustle of vestments in the silent apse, and the ancient verses marking the passage from the worldly porch into the nave—a momentary architecture of sound built to frame silence.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Late Middle English introite (“act of entering in or into, entrance; place of entrance”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman introït, introïte (“introit”), or from its etymon Latin introitus (“act of entering in or into, entrance; passage; place of entrance; (figuratively) beginning, introduction, prelude”), from introeō (“to enter, go in”) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs). Introeō is derived from intrō (“to enter, go into”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én (“in”)) + eō (“to go”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- (“to go”)).
noun
- A prayer, typically part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible, read or sung at the start of Mass while or immediately after the priest ascends to the altar.
- Any piece of choral music, especially a setting of an anthem or a psalm, sung at the opening of a church service.
- The action of entering or going in; an entrance.
- An introduction.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- introibo 83% match — The prayers spoken by the priest at the foot of the altar at the start of a Tridentine Mass. vs introit →
- introitus 63% match — The entrance to a hollow organ or canal; often specifically the entrance to the vagina. vs introit →
- offertory 62% match — A prayer said or sung as an anthem while offerings of bread and wine are placed on the altar during the Roman Catholic Mass or the Anglican Communion service. vs introit →
- prokeimenon 61% match — In the liturgical practice of the Orthodox Church and Byzantine Rite, a psalm or canticle refrain sung responsorially at certain points of the Divine Liturgy or the Divine Office, usually to introduce a scripture reading. vs introit →
- preludium 58% match — prelude, portent vs introit →
- incipit 58% match — The first few words of a text, especially its first line. vs introit →
- prooemion 58% match — A preface, an introduction. vs introit →
- exord 58% match — A preface or prefatory passage. vs introit →