1. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: Greek words, meaning "Lord, have mercy upon us," used in the
Mass, the breviary offices, the litany of the saints, etc. Addis &
Arnold.
2. The name given to the response to the Commandments, in the service of the Church of England and of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
KYRIELLE
Kyr`i*elle, n. Etym: [Cf. F. kyrielle.]
Defn: A litany beginning with the words. "Kyrie eleison." Shipley.
KYRIOLEXY; KYRIOLOGY
Kyr"i*o*lex`y, Kyr`i*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. Curiologic.]
Defn: The use of literal or simple expressions, as distinguished from the use of figurative or obscure ones. Krauth-Fleming.
KYRIOLOGICAL
Kyr`i*o*log"ic*al, a. Etym: [See Curiologic.]
Defn: Serving to denote objects by conventional signs or alphabetical characters; as, the original Greek alphabet of sixteen letters was called kyriologic, because it represented the pure elementary sounds. See Curiologic. [Written also curiologic and kuriologic.]
Note: The term is also applied, as by Warburton, to those Egyptian hieroglyphics, in which a part is put conventionally for the whole, as in depicting a battle by two hands, one holding a shield and the other a bow.