liturgy
n. C / Un. the set of words and actions used during a formal religious ceremony. It is the official way a church service is performed.
n. a prescribed form or set of rituals for public religious worship. Often refers to the established formulas of the Christian Eucharist or similar traditional ceremonies.
The priest followed the traditional liturgy for the morning service.
The choir practiced for weeks to master the complex musical settings required for the Easter liturgy.
Scholars of religious history often analyze how changes in the liturgy reflect broader shifts in the theological priorities and cultural identity of a worshipping community over several centuries.
From Middle French liturgie, from Latin liturgia, from Ancient Greek λειτουργία (leitourgía), from λειτ- (leit-), from λαός (laós, “people”) + -ουργός (-ourgós), from ἔργον (érgon, “work”) (the public work of the people done on behalf of the people).
Uncountable when referring to the concept of ritual worship; countable when referring to a specific set of rites or a book containing them.