What does breviary mean?
A breviary is the liturgical book that contains the Divine Office — the set of psalms, prayers, canticles, and readings appointed for the canonical hours observed throughout each day. Used most closely with the Roman Catholic tradition, though parallel books exist in Anglican and Eastern Christian practice, it serves as the daily companion of priests, monks, nuns, and laypeople who pray the hours. Its very name reflects an act of editorial compression: the English word derives from the Latin breviarium, itself built on brevis, meaning short, because the breviary condensed a once-vaster body of monastic office into a single portable volume. In modern usage the noun is formal and overwhelmingly ecclesiastical; one speaks of saying, reciting, or praying the breviary. A rarer, largely historical sense applies the word to any brief compendium or abridgment of a larger work. For readers of literature or history, recognizing breviary signals familiarity with religious vocabulary and the rhythms of consecrated life.
nounA breviary is a book containing the daily services of the Divine Office (the canonical hours), used especially in the Roman Catholic Church for the recitation of prayers, psalms, and readings by clergy and religious. More generally, it can denote any brief summary or abridgment.
- A liturgical book containing the Divine Office (canonical hours) for daily recitation, especially in the Roman Catholic tradition.
- A brief summary or abridgment of a larger work (a rarer, historical sense).
"The monk paused over his well-worn breviary as the bells rang for vespers."
"Each morning before dawn, the sisters gathered in the chapel to recite the day's office from the breviary."
"Medieval scholars sometimes produced a breviary of a lengthy treatise so that students could grasp its essentials quickly."
Standard English plural; used when referring to multiple copies or to different regional editions of the office.
"The monastery's library holds several antique breviaries from across Europe."
The word 'brief' and the priest's 'breviary' come from the very same Latin root — the Church's daily prayer book is literally named for being short.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of breviary
Breviary entered English from the Latin breviarium, a term meaning a condensed or abbreviated book, which derives from brevis, meaning short — the same root that gives us brief, brevity, and abbreviate. The name originally referred to the way the full Divine Office, once spread across many volumes, was reduced to a single compact handbook for convenient use. The word has been part of English religious vocabulary since at least the medieval period, and it remains tied to liturgical language today.
Related word forms
How breviary is actually used
Register: formal and largely ecclesiastical. The word appears almost exclusively in religious contexts today; the secondary sense of a brief abridgment is chiefly historical. Capitalization varies — 'Roman Breviary' refers to a specific authorized edition, while lowercase 'breviary' denotes the book generically.
Easily confused with breviary
A missal contains the texts used for Mass, whereas a breviary contains the Divine Office prayed at the canonical hours outside of Mass.
A bevy is a group or flock (as of birds or women), unrelated in meaning to the liturgical book called a breviary.