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
Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Since then, there have been a litany of objections to the settlement filed by current athletes (including LSU gymnast/NIL superstar Livvy Dunne), former athletes, parents of athletes, and the former NBA Players’ Association Executive Director Michelle Roberts, among others.
—Joe Sabin, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
However, the history of NATO has been a litany of challenges, both internal and external.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
But while Munich had been hoping to hear greater detail on the Trump administrations publicly morphing peace plan for Ukraine, they were battered with a bizarre, post-truth litany of culture-war complaints and a bid to sow serious doubt about electoral integrity across Europe.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 14 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Litany.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litany. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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litany
noun
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