breviary

noun

bre·​via·​ry ˈbrē-və-rē 

-vyə-,

-vē-ˌer-ē,

-ˌe-rē,

 also  ˈbre-

plural breviaries

1

often capitalized

a

: a book of the prayers, hymns, psalms, and readings for the canonical hours

b

: divine office

2

[Latin breviarium] : a brief summary

Synonyms

• abstract
• brief
• capsule
• conspectus
• digest
• encapsulation
• epitome
• inventory
• outline
• précis
• recap
• recapitulation
• résumé
• resume
• resumé
• roundup
• run-through
• rundown
• sum
• sum-up
• summa
• summarization
• summary
• summing-up
• synopsis
• wrap-up

Examples of breviary in a Sentence

a speech that could serve as a breviary for impeachment

Recent Examples on the Web

Books of Hours are breviaries, or a selection of prayers and psalms taken from long prayer books used by monks. —Brian T. Allen, National Review, 28 Jan. 2020

In the breviary-like Logia of Yeshua, Davenport and his coauthor, Benjamin Urrutia, assembled everything reportedly spoken by Jesus. —Michael Dirda, National Review, 25 July 2019

Word History

Etymology

Middle English breviarie, from Medieval Latin breviarium, from Latin, summary, from brevis

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

breviary

noun

bre·​via·​ry ˈbrē-v(y)ə-rē 

-vē-ˌer-ē

plural breviaries

: a book containing prayers, hymns, and readings especially for priests for each day of the year