Where does “liturgy” come from?
Liturgy comes from Middle French liturgie, from Latin liturgia, from Ancient Greek λειτουργία, combining λαός meaning "people" and -ία, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European leh₂wos.
liturgy (English): A predetermined or prescribed set of rituals that...
Definitions
- A predetermined or prescribed set of rituals that...
Ancestry of “liturgy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | liturgie | — |
| 2 | Latin | lītūrgia | liturgy |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | λειτουργία | public service; ministration |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | λειτουργός | public servant; minister |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ουργός | worker, maker; work; worker, maker, craftsman |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἔργον | deed, doing, action; labour, work, task;... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | wérgon | work |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wérǵom | work |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | werǵ- | to make |