Other forms: litanies
A litany is a long repetitive recital of complaints or prayers. A litany of complaints, the usual litany, a litany of failures.
The figurative use is the commoner and is always weary, since a litany of anything is more of it than anybody wanted to hear. The church litany is a call and response, which is where the repetition comes from.
1nounlitanyA long repetitive recital of complaints or prayers.
“He gave us a long litany of complaints about his neighbours, his job and his car.”
litany is a recital.
Greek litaneia means a prayer, from lite, an entreaty.
Ancient Greek
λῐτᾰνείᾱ
Latin
litania
Old French
letanie
English, today
litany
Built from
From Middle English -, from Old French letanie, from Latin litania, from Ancient Greek λῐτᾰνείᾱ. From Middle English -, from Old French letanie, from Latin litania, from Ancient Greek λιτανεία (“prayer”), from λιτή (“prayer, entreaty”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA