What does liturgy mean?
A liturgy is the established form and order in which a religious congregation performs public worship. In Christian usage, it may refer to the complete pattern of prayers, readings, hymns, music, sacraments, and other observances, as well as to a particular book or body of rites preserving that pattern. The word is also used more broadly for any carefully prescribed form of communal worship. Although “liturgy” is sometimes treated as equivalent to “worship service,” the distinction is important: worship describes the activity, while a liturgy emphasizes its traditional or authorized structure. The word is especially associated with Christianity, but comparable forms of public worship exist in other religious traditions. Discussions of liturgy commonly concern liturgical revision, musical practice, the liturgical calendar, and the relationship between ritual, doctrine, and congregation.
nounThe prescribed form and order of public worship, especially in a Christian church. In some traditions, the term also refers more broadly to a body or tradition of liturgical worship.
- The prescribed form and order of public worship, especially Christian worship.
- A particular set of liturgical rites or the book containing them.
- A body or tradition of worship organized according to an established rite.
"The parish followed the traditional liturgy, with prayers, scripture readings, hymns, and the Eucharist arranged in their customary order."
"Changes to the liturgy were introduced gradually across the diocese."
"Her scholarship focuses on the liturgy of the early medieval church."
The plural refers to distinct orders or forms of public worship, or to the liturgical traditions of different churches or periods.
"The histories compare the liturgies of the Eastern and Western churches."
Before it meant worship, “liturgy” described an obligation performed for the public good: the word literally referred to public service in ancient Greece.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does liturgy come from?
Liturgy comes from the Greek leitourgia, originally meaning a public service or duty performed on behalf of the community. The term developed in Christian Greek to refer to prescribed forms of worship, especially the Eucharistic service. Its ultimate roots connect Greek ergon, “work,” with an ancient Indo-European word for work or the product of work, the same broad root found in words such as energy and organization.
Related word forms
How liturgy is actually used
The term is especially common in Christian contexts and is often used in discussions of denominational identity, worship order, and reform. In older usage, it can denote the service itself rather than only its prescribed form.
Easily confused with liturgy
A liturgy is the established form and order of a religious service, whereas a ritual is a broader term for a prescribed or customary set of symbolic actions.