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
Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2026
The force of Quincy’s essay resided not in rehearsing this full litany of offenses for The Atlantic’s readers but in delineating its implications.
—Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
Executives at large vaccine developers were already grappling with a litany of changes to vaccine policy.
—Jason Mast, STAT, 12 Feb. 2026
The chemistry between Heldenbergh, Constantine and fellow senior co-captain Alex Frost (4-11-15) on the top line has led to a litany of crucial goals in this streak, but balance through the lineup bolsters the Cougars.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for litany
Cite this Entry
“Litany.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litany. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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litany
noun
