Kyrie
/ˈkɪəri.eɪ/noun
A Christian liturgical invocation meaning “Lord,” especially in the phrase Kyrie eleison, “Lord, have mercy.”
Did you know?Unlike most of the Western Mass, the Kyrie remained in Greek, preserving the language of the earliest Christian liturgy inside a largely Latin ceremony.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European (proposed)
PIE
*kewH-
“A disputed proposed root associated with swelling, strength, or power; its connection to Greek kyrios is not certain.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κύριος (kyrios)
“Lord, master, or one possessing authority.”
Koine Greek
Greek
κύριε (kyrie)
“Vocative form: “O Lord,” used when directly addressing a lord or God.”
1st–2nd Century
Greek
Κύριε ἐλέησον (Kyrie eleison)
““Lord, have mercy,” a Greek prayer formula adopted into Christian worship.”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Kyrie
“The Greek invocation retained as a fixed element of the developing Latin Christian Mass.”
Middle English
English
Kyrie
“A liturgical cry or section of the Mass, transmitted through church worship and musical notation.”
Modern English
English
Kyrie
“A Christian liturgical invocation and, by extension, a musical setting of that text.”
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