Definition of "breviary" [bre•vi•a•ry]

• Ecclesiastical A book containing the hymns, offices, and prayers for the canonical hours. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "And this is the evening prayer of that, what we call the breviary, or the divine office."
• "The Roman Martyrology, like the breviary, is a liturgical book proper."
• "This said, over the years I have heard it said on a few occasions that the breviary is simply too time-consuming for non-clergy and non-religious to possibly take on."