litany

IPA/ˈlɪtəni/
KK[lˈɪtəni]IPA/ˈlɪtəni/

litany — 名詞

  • litanysingular
  • litaniesplural

1. A structured Christian prayer in which a leader speaks a series of short petitio

1.名詞B2
釋義

連禱

領禱者念誦、會眾回應的基督教祈禱

A structured Christian prayer in which a leader speaks a series of short petitions, and the congregation responds with a fixed phrase after each one.

例句

The priest recited the morning litany while the congregation answered 'Lord, have mercy' after each line.

神父朗誦了晨間連禱，會眾在每一句之後回應「求主憐憫」。

collocation: recite a litany + call-and-response pattern

Karim opened his prayer book and followed the litany, joining the responses at the right moment.

Karim 翻開祈禱書跟著連禱，在正確的時刻加入回應。

常見搭配
  • recite a litany
  • sing a litany
  • follow the litany
  • the Litany of...
  • morning litany
同義詞
  • prayer

    broader term for any communication with God; a litany is a specific structural form

  • invocation

    an appeal or call to God; an invocation is usually shorter and not necessarily responsorial

  • supplication

    a humble plea to God; focuses on the act of begging rather than the call-and-response structure

文法句型

a/the litany

the Litany (as a proper name)

litany + of + noun phrase

用法筆記

Often capitalised when referring to a specific liturgical text (e.g., the Litany of the Saints). The congregation's response is almost always the same fixed phrase repeated after each petition.

常見錯誤

They sang a litany of songs at the concert.
The choir sang a litany of prayers during the service.
A litany is a type of prayer, not any list of songs or items.

2. A lengthy and tedious series of complaints, problems, or other undesirable matte

2.名詞B2
釋義

一長串

一連串令人不快或重複的事物

A lengthy and tedious series of complaints, problems, or other undesirable matters, typically recited one after another.

例句

The manager sat through a litany of complaints from customers about the slow delivery service.

經理聽了一大串顧客對配送服務緩慢的投訴。

collocation: a litany of complaints

In her farewell speech, Nandini listed a litany of obstacles the team had overcome together.

在告別演說中，Nandini 一一列出了團隊共同克服的一連串障礙。

常見搭配
  • a litany of complaints
  • a litany of problems
  • a litany of grievances
  • a litany of errors
  • the usual litany
  • same old litany
同義詞
  • catalogue

    emphasises completeness or thoroughness; less negative than litany

  • recital

    focuses on the act of speaking the list aloud; often implies boredom

  • string

    neutral term for a series of similar things, without the negative tone

  • plethora

    suggests an excessive amount; can be positive or negative

反義詞
  • handful

    a small number, the opposite of a long list

  • scarcity

    a lack of something, the opposite of an abundance listed out

文法句型

a litany of + noun

whole litany

the usual litany

用法筆記

Always used in a negative context — the items listed are unpleasant, frustrating, or tedious. Often implies that the speaker is tired of hearing or repeating the list. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense has no religious meaning and the items need not be prayers.

常見錯誤

She gave a litany of birthday presents.
She gave a litany of reasons why the project failed.
A litany in this sense must refer to unpleasant or tedious items, not happy or neutral ones.
His litany of achievements impressed everyone.
His list of achievements impressed everyone.
Use 'litany' only when the items are complaints or problems, not positive achievements.

同根字

  • litanical
    形容詞C2
  • litanically
    副詞C2

常見搭配

名詞搭配

常用片語

  • a litany of
  • the same old litany
  • the usual litany

介系詞搭配