little hour

noun

One of the canonical hours of prime, terce, sext, nones, and usually compline, the services of which are shorter and considered less important than the three major hours of matins, lauds, and vespers.

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Meanings

nounlittle hour (plural little hours)

plural little hours

  1. ChristianityOne of the canonical hours of prime, terce, sext, nones, and usually compline, the services of which are shorter and considered less important than the three major hours of matins, lauds, and vespers.

    […] the principal collect was said at Terce and at the little hour immediately preceding the High Mass […]

    1932, The Monastic Breviary of Hyde Abbey, Winchester, volume 6, page 205

Translations

Polish godzinki
  • godzinkiminor canonical hour
Cite this entry
APA

little hour. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/little%20hour

MLA

“little hour.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/little%20hour. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “little hour,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/little%20hour.

Source: little hour on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.