Novena
/noʊˈviːnə/noun
A series of prayers or religious services said over nine consecutive days or at regular intervals of nine days.
Did you know?Novena comes from Latin novem, and the number nine has long carried sacred weight in Christian devotion, which is why the practice was built around repeated, focused prayer rather than a one-time plea.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁newn̥
“nine”
Latin
Latin
novem
“nine”
Late Latin
Latin
novena
“a group of nine; a nine-day religious observance”
Spanish/Italian
Romance
novena
“a nine-day devotion or prayer cycle”
English
English
novena
“a devotional prayer said for nine days”