litany means A ritual liturgical prayer in which a series of prayers recited by a leader are alternated with responses from the congregation. It carries an Arena rating of 1812, earned across 12 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, litany ranks #551 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #708 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #719 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #887 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
litany is pronounced /ˈlɪtəni/.
Why “litany” is a great word
A prolonged, repetitious enumeration or responsive prayer, often tinged with solemnity or tediousness. From Old French *letanie*, from Late Latin *litania*, from Ancient Greek *λιτανεία* (*litaneía*, "supplication, entreaty"), from *λιτή* (*litḗ*, "prayer, supplication"). Unlike a "catalog," which presents items with clinical detachment, or an "oration," which flows in unbroken eloquence, a litany is defined by its wearying, recursive rhythm. It is the droning recital of minor grievances in a lovers' quarrel, the somber call-and-response of saints' names in a candlelit nave, and the internal roster of one's own failings recited in the dark hours before dawn—a ritual of repetition that seeks, through sheer accumulation, either to sanctify or to numb.
Etymology
From Middle English, from Old French letanie, from Latin litania, from Ancient Greek λιτανεία (litaneía, “prayer”), from λιτή (litḗ, “prayer, entreaty”).
noun
- A ritual liturgical prayer in which a series of prayers recited by a leader are alternated with responses from the congregation.
- A prolonged or tedious list.e.g.“Near-synonym: jeremiad”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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