Prayer Book Glossary

Question 1

Brethren

Answer 1

An inclusive term to denote all those present in a service. e.g. “Dearly beloved brethren…”

Question 2

Comfort; Comfortable

Answer 2

From the late Latin ‘confortare’, to strengthen, to make strong, to be strengthened. e.g. “Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith.”

Question 3

Concord

Answer 3

Agreement between people.

Question 4

Convenient

Answer 4

Appropriate. e.g. “It is convenient that the new married persons should receive Holy Communion.”

Question 5

Conversation

Answer 5

Public conduct or behaviour. e.g. “examine your lives and conversations by the rule of God’s commandments.”

Question 6

Curate

Answer 6

Any priest who has ‘cure’ of souls in a particular place, normally a parish. e.g. “as the Curate by his discretion shall appoint.”

Question 7

Eschew

Answer 7

Abstain from.

Question 8

Froward

Answer 8

Perverse, contrary. e.g. Ps 18.26, “With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.” Ps 101.4, “A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.”

Question 9

Ghost; Ghostly

Answer 9

From the Old English “gāst” (German, “Geist”). Spirit; spiritual. e.g. “…together with ghostly counsel and advice.”

Question 10

Graven

Answer 10

Carved, hand-made. e.g. “Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image.”

Question 11

Holpen

Answer 11

Past tense of ‘to help’. e.g. “He remembering his mercy hath holpen His servant Israel.”

Question 12

Indifferently.

Answer 12

Impartially.

Question 13

Intolerable.

Answer 13

From Latin ‘intolerabilis’, cannot be borne.

Question 14

Lively.

Answer 14

Living. e.g. “a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice unto thee.”

Question 15

Magnify

Answer 15

To glorify, to praise greatly. e.g. “My soul doth magnify the Lord.”

Question 16

Man/Men

Answer 16

An inclusive term for all human beings. e.g. “Who for us men, and for our salvation came down from heaven…”

Question 17

Meet

Answer 17

Appropriate, fitting. e.g. “It is meet and right so to do.

Question 18

Militant

Answer 18

The Church on earth, those still “fighting the good fight of faith” (from the Latin ‘militans’), as opposed to the Church Triumphant in Heaven. e.g. “Let us pray for the whole state of Christ’s Church militant here in earth.”

Question 19

Miserable

Answer 19

Pitiable, in needing of mercy. e.g. “But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders.”

Question 20

Oblation

Answer 20

From the late Latin ‘oblatio’ (from ‘offerre’, ‘oblatum’, to offer), offering. e.g. “alms and oblations”, “his one oblation of himself once offered.”

Question 21

Only

Answer 21

Often means ‘alone’. e.g. “Almighty God…of whose only gift it cometh…” (Collect for Trinity XIII)

Question 22

Prevent

Answer 22

Go before. e.g. “Prevent us O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favour.”

Question 23

Profession

Answer 23

A declaration of belief in something. e.g. “Baptism representeth unto us our profession; which is, to follow the example of our Saviour Christ.”

Question 24

Propitiate; propitiation

Answer 24

To win or gain the favour of; a sacrifice which turns aside God’s wrath. e.g. “he is the propitiation for our sins.”

Question 25

Quick; quicken

Answer 25

Living; to make alive. e.g. “the quick and the dead.”

Question 26

Regenerate

Answer 26

Born again spiritually. e.g. “Grant that we being regenerate…”

Question 27

Remission

Answer 27

Forgiveness and absolution. e.g. “Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we…may obtain of thee the God of all mercy, perfect remission…”

Question 28

Sabaoth

Answer 28

In Hebrew, “hosts” or “armies”. e.g. “To thee Cherubim and Seraphim: continually do cry, Holy, Holy, Holy: Lord God of Sabaoth.”

Question 29

Satisfaction

Answer 29

Fulfilling an obligation incurred. e.g. “ye shall reconcile yourselves unto them; being ready to make restitution and satisfaction”, “a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world.”

Question 30

Suffer

Answer 30

1. To endure pain.
2. To tolerate or allow. e.g. “Suffer the little children to come unto me.”

Question 31

Suffrages

Answer 31

Intercessory petitions made by the priest, followed by the responses of the congregation. e.g. “The Suffrages next after the Creed.”

Question 32

Supplication

Answer 32

Humble and earnest petition. e.g. “Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee…”

Question 33

Tempt; temptation

Answer 33

Test; testing. e.g. “when your fathers tempted me”, “lead us not into temptation”.

Question 34

Travail

Answer 34

Painful or laborious effort; to endure such. e.g. “Come unto me all ye that travail…”

Question 35

Very

Answer 35

True. e.g. “very God of very God”. (Verily: truly, certainly)

Question 36

Vouchsafe

Answer 36

To grant readily, to show gracious willingness. e.g. “Vouchsafe, O Lord: to keep us this day without sin.”

Question 37

Vulgar

Answer 37

Easily understandable. e.g. “in the vulgar tongue.”

Question 38

Worthily

Answer 38

With due devotion or reverence, deservedly or appropriately. e.g. “we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness…”

Question 39

Presently

Answer 39

After a short time; soon.

Question 40

Collect

Answer 40

A short prayer, especially one assigned to a particular day or season.

Question 41

Peradventure

Answer 41

-Adverb. Perhaps
-Noun. Uncertainty or doubt as to whether something is the case. e.g. “That shows beyond peradventure the strength of the economy.”

Question 42

Ye, You, Your

Answer 42

Plural pronoun

Question 43

Thee, Thine, Thou

Answer 43

Singular pronoun

Question 44

Yea

Answer 44

Yes (an affirmative answer; yea or nay)