Home › Glossary › Letter L

Liturgical lyric

Genre
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A devotional or religious poem structured for or inspired by liturgical use or worship practices

Detailed Definition
A liturgical lyric is a devotional poem structured for or inspired by religious ritual, incorporating elements like call-and-response, scriptural allusion, or sacramental imagery; designed for communal use or private meditation, it blends poetic artistry with theological reflection, as seen in the Psalms or George Herbert’s temple poems.
Example
Example in poetry:
The “Dies Irae” sequence adapted into English verse; George Herbert’s “The Sacrifice” mimics liturgical call-and-response; modern example: “Bless the hands that feed us, / bless the eyes that see us”; another: “Kyrie eleison— / the subway doors close.”
Additional Notes
A liturgical lyric draws from religious worship services, often mimicking prayer, psalm, or chant structures; it typically uses repetition, invocation, and sacred diction.
Also Known As
Ritual verse Ceremonial hymn Sacred chant Ritual poem Worship verse Worshipful Canticle Sacred verse
Skip to main content