Miserere
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An expression of lamentation or complaint.
- 2 A medieval dagger, used for the mercy stroke to a wounded foe; misericord.
- 3 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.
- 4 Ileus.
- 1 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.
"One of the most impressive ceremonies of Holy Week is the chanting of the Miserere."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of Miserere (“the 51st/50th Psalm”). alt-of
"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."
Example
More examples"One of the most impressive ceremonies of Holy Week is the chanting of the Miserere."
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin miserēre (“have pity”), the first word of the psalm in that language.
From Middle English miserere, a borrowing from Latin miserēre (“have pity”), first word of the 51st Psalm (50th in the older Greek and Latin numbering), translating Ancient Greek ἐλέησον (eléēson) and Biblical Hebrew חָנֵּנִי (ḥānnēnî), inflected form of חָנַן (ḥānan, “have mercy”).
More for "miserere"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.