What does responsory mean?
A responsory is a prayer or chant performed as an answer within a religious service, particularly in the medieval Christian Divine Office. It commonly follows a reading from Scripture, allowing the liturgical drama to unfold through alternating spoken passages, chants, and responses. The word is mainly associated with historical worship, plainchant, and the study of medieval music, although responsory-like forms can be found in other religious traditions. Its modern associations are more specialized and ceremonial than those of the everyday word response. For readers interested in sacred music, the responsory is significant because it shows how sound and text worked together to structure a service, mark important moments, and guide communal participation. The related adjective responsorial means “of or relating to a responsory,” as in responsorial chant.
nounA responsory is a prayer or chant sung in response to another part of a liturgical service, especially one sung after a reading from Scripture. The term is most commonly associated with the medieval Christian Divine Office.
- A prayer or chant sung in response to another part of a liturgical service.
- A chant or musical response in the medieval Christian Divine Office, traditionally following a reading or other liturgical text.
"The choir sang a responsory after the reading from the Gospel."
"The morning service included a responsory from the Psalter."
"Musicians reconstructed the responsory from a fragmentary medieval manuscript."
The plural is responsories, with the ending pronounced /iz/ in this word.
"Several responsories from the medieval office were performed during the concert."
A responsory is a medieval prayer built around the idea of answering: the liturgy speaks, and the congregation or choir answers back.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does responsory come from?
The word comes through medieval Latin responsorium, a term for an answer or response, ultimately from Latin respondere, meaning “to answer” or “reply.” The English form responsory became established in religious and musical contexts, especially for the chants of the Divine Office. Related English words such as response, respondent, responsive, and responsibility preserve the same broad idea of answering or being answerable.
Related word forms
How responsory is actually used
The word is chiefly a liturgical and historical term. In modern usage it most often refers to medieval Christian chant or prayer rather than to an ordinary spoken reply.