What does kyrie mean?
Kyrie is a formal liturgical term for a short Christian prayer of supplication, most often the plea “Kyrie eleison,” which means “O Lord, have mercy.” In Western Christianity, it is commonly said or sung as part of a service, especially the Mass, and it may also name a musical composition based on that prayer. The word has a solemn, traditional register and carries associations with worship, musical settings, and the repeated pattern of calling and response. Although usually associated with Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions, the Greek phrase is also used in Eastern Orthodox worship. Kyrie is useful as a word because it points to a concise example of how religious language, music, and ritual have interacted in English for centuries.
nounA short Christian prayer or invocation, especially the phrase Kyrie eleison (“O Lord, have mercy”), said or sung in many Western liturgies. The term can also refer to a musical setting or movement based on this prayer.
- A short Christian prayer or invocation, especially the liturgical plea Kyrie eleison, meaning “O Lord, have mercy.”
- A musical section or movement in which a kyrie is sung, especially within the Mass and related Western liturgical settings.
"The congregation responded to the kyrie with the familiar refrain, “have mercy.”"
"The choir sang the kyrie in a slow, unaccompanied setting."
"The service opened with the traditional kyrie, followed by a moment of silence."
The plural is used for multiple prayers, invocations, or musical settings of the kyrie.
"The program included two kyries for choir and congregation."
Borrowed from Greek for “O Lord, have mercy,” the kyrie is one of the oldest musical formulas in Western Christian worship.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does kyrie come from?
The English word comes through Medieval Latin from Greek kyrie, the vocative form of kyrios, meaning “lord.” It is a shortened form of the liturgical Greek phrase Kyrie eleison, “O Lord, have mercy,” which developed from early Christian prayer and became established in the Western Mass. Related Greek-derived words include kyriarch and kyriarchy, while Cyril and Cyrillic belong to the same broader etymological tradition associated with the Greek word for “lord.”
Related word forms
How kyrie is actually used
The word is chiefly formal and liturgical. It may refer either to the prayer itself or to a musical setting of it; capitalization varies with house style and with whether the full Greek phrase is being quoted.