1. (R. C. Ch.) 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.
Kyr`i*elle (?), n. [Cf. F. kyrielle.] A litany beginning with the
words, "Kyrie eleison." Shipley.
{ Kyr"i*o*lex`y (?), Kyr`i*ol"o*gy (?), } n. [Gr. &?;, &?;. See
Curiologic.] The use of literal or simple expressions, as distinguished
from the use of figurative or obscure ones. Krauth-Fleming.
Kyr`i*o*log"ic*al (?), a. [See Curiologic.] 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.]
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.
{ Kythe, Kithe (k) }, v. t. [imp. Kydde, Kidde (kd"de); p. p. Kythed
(?), Kid; p. pr. & vb. n. Kything.] [OE. kythen, kithen, cuðen, to make
known, AS. cðan, fr. cð known. √45. See Uncouth, Can to be able,
and cf. Kith.] To make known; to manifest; to show; to declare. [Obs.
or Scot.]
For gentle hearte kytheth gentilesse.
Chaucer.