Glossary
Unfamiliar words from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and King James Bible
- Absolution
- The formal declaration by a priest that a penitent's sins are forgiven.
- Alms
- Charitable gifts to the poor; money or goods given in charity.
- Beseech
- To beg, implore, or earnestly request.
- Canticle
- A hymn or song of praise taken from the Bible (other than the Psalms), such as the Magnificat or Nunc Dimittis.
- Collect
- A short, formal prayer appointed for a particular day or occasion. Pronounced "COLL-ect" (stress on first syllable).
- Compel
- To force or urge strongly.
- Confess/Confession
- To acknowledge one's sins before God; the formal prayer of acknowledgment of sin.
- Epistle
- A letter, especially one of the letters in the New Testament written by the Apostles.
- Evensong
- The service of Evening Prayer.
- Hallow
- To make holy; to honour as sacred. "Hallowed be thy name" means "may your name be honoured as holy."
- Hearken
- To listen attentively; to give heed.
- Litany
- A form of prayer with a series of petitions and fixed responses, traditionally said or sung on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
- Magnificat
- The song of the Virgin Mary from Luke 1:46-55, beginning "My soul doth magnify the Lord." Sung at Evening Prayer.
- Mattins
- The service of Morning Prayer. Also spelled "Matins."
- Meet
- Fitting, proper, or appropriate. "It is meet and right so to do."
- Nunc Dimittis
- The song of Simeon from Luke 2:29-32, beginning "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace." Sung at Evening Prayer.
- Oblation
- An offering or sacrifice made to God.
- Penitent
- A person who repents of their sins; feeling or showing sorrow for wrongdoing.
- Quicken
- To give life to; to revive or make alive.
- Rubric
- A direction in a prayer book, traditionally printed in red, explaining how a service should be conducted.
- Suffrages
- Short intercessory prayers or petitions, typically in a versicle-and-response format.
- Te Deum
- An ancient Latin hymn of praise beginning "We praise thee, O God." Sung at Morning Prayer.
- Thee/Thou/Thy/Thine
- Second person singular pronouns (you/your/yours). In the KJV, "thou" is used for addressing one person, while "ye/you" addresses multiple people.
- Trespass
- A sin or wrongdoing; to sin against.
- Venite
- Psalm 95, beginning "O come, let us sing unto the Lord." Sung near the start of Morning Prayer.
- Versicle
- A short sentence, often from the Psalms, said or sung by the minister, followed by a response from the congregation.
- Vouchsafe
- To grant or bestow graciously; to condescend to give.
- Wherefore
- For what reason; why. Also means "therefore" or "for which reason."
- Wont
- Accustomed or used to. "As was his wont" means "as was his custom."