Pronounced: LOVE-lace, noun
Notes: I didn’t know this was a word; I’ve just heard it as a name in fiction
Yesterday’s word
The word litany is
- a prayer consisting of a series of supplications and responses said alternately by the leader and the congregation
- a lengthy recitation
First usage
Our word came into English before 900
Background / Comments
Originally, our word meant the first definition. It came from Anglo-French, which came from Late Latin, which came from the Greek word litaneia (entreaty). Over time, other definitions came about: the chant-like quality of an actual litany led to a repetitive chant sense, which led to the idea of a lengthy recitation, which led to an idea of a sizeable series or set of something — such as excuses and I noted yesterday.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 