Eleison
/eˈle.is.on/noun
A Greek liturgical plea meaning “have mercy.”
Did you know?In the ancient Christian chant Kyrie eleison, the Greek phrase survived intact into Latin worship, preserving a direct plea to divine mercy across centuries of ritual repetition.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἐλέησον
“have mercy; pity (imperative)”
Late Antiquity
Greek
Κύριε ἐλέησον
“Lord, have mercy”
Early Christian Latin
Latin
Kyrie eleison
“a fixed Greek liturgical petition used in worship”
Modern English
English
eleison
“the Greek word or phrase used in Christian liturgy”
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