[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/litany/)

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# litany

noun (a litany, litanies)

«litany» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (church) A litany is a long prayer in which a leader says a line and the people answer with the same response each time, like «Lord, have mercy». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/litany/#m1)
2. A litany is a long list of things, often complaints or problems, that seems to go on and on. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/litany/#m2)

### In the lessons

Church lessons: the litany in Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox services. Everyday and news: «a litany of complaints», «a litany of mistakes». It tells the reader something is long and repeated.

### Examples

- The priest led the litany and the people answered. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/litany/#x1)
- In the litany, everyone repeated «Hear our prayer». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/litany/#x2)
- He gave a litany of excuses for being late. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/litany/#x3)
- The report listed a litany of problems. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/litany/#x4)
- My brother has a litany of complaints about broccoli. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/litany/#x5)
- The old church still sings the litany on Sundays. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/litany/#x6)

### Note

Plural: litanies (y → ies). Say «LIT-uh-nee».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «litany» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/litany/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«litany» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/litany.html) on Mova free.