Herman Wouk
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A Short History of Litany
How do we love the word litany? Let us count the ways. We love its original 13th century meaning, still in use today, referring to a call-and-response prayer in which a series of lines are spoken alternately by a leader and a congregation. We love how litany has developed in the intervening centuries three figurative senses, and we love each of these as well: first, a sense meaning “repetitive chant”; next, the “lengthy recitation” sense owing to the repetitious—and sometimes interminable—nature of the original litany; and finally, an even broader sense referring to any sizeable series or set. Though litanies of this third sort tend to be unpleasant, we choose today to think of the loveliness found in the idea of “a litany of sonnets by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.”
Examples of litany in a Sentence
Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025
Last week’s meeting featured a litany of speakers who criticized the application process and methodology.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2025
Since taking the helm in 2018, Powell has steered the Fed through a litany of challenges, such as an economic crisis sowed by the Covid-19 pandemic, a historic bout of high inflation, and now, an erratic global trade war that has unsettled decision-makers across the world.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 26 May 2025
As the weeks progressed, the young man suffered from a litany of symptoms, including severe headaches, double vision, starbursts, ghosting, halos and other visual disturbances, his parents said.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 24 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Litany.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litany. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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litany
noun
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