miserere
/mɪzəˈɹɛəɹi/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.89 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
The 51st Psalm (50th in the older Greek and Latin numbering), beginning “Have mercy upon me, O God …” in the King James Version; sometimes set to music.
name
Alternative letter-case form of Miserere (“the 51st/50th Psalm”).
noun
An expression of lamentation or complaint.
noun
A small projecting boss or bracket on the underside of the hinged seat of a church stall, intended to give some support to a standing worshipper when the seat is turned up; a misericord.
noun
Example Sentences
- "One of the most impressive ceremonies of Holy Week is the chanting of the Miserere."
- "When someone did want to designate a short interval, the usual phrasing drew on religious vocabulary, calling up the duration of common prayers: the Paternoster, the Ave Maria, and the Miserere."
- "Psalm 50, the “Miserere,” was linked to the Passion of Christ by a peculiar story from the thirteenth century known as the “rood legend,” a popular history concerning the wood of the Cross. According to that legend, David had composed the “Miserere” as penance for his sins under the very tree that provided the wood for the Holy Cross."
- "The miserere, that is to say, have mercy on us, is a psalm, composed of stanzas, which are sung alternately in a very different manner."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: miserere, miserēre
Inflected Forms
the Miserere (canonical)
misereres (plural)