From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlitanylit‧a‧ny /ˈlɪtəni/ noun (plural litanies) [countable] 1 LISTa long list of problems, excuses etc – used to show disapprovallitany of an endless litany of complaints2 RRCa long prayer in the Christian Church in which the priest says a sentence and the people reply
Examples from the Corpus
litany• Donald, Hector, Alexander, Andrew, she ticked them off sometimes as a litany of fortunate deliverances.• A part of the Democratic campaign litany is the claim that Republicans cut spending for Medicare.• Abusive lovers, self-deception and compulsive honesty create a droll litany over exquisite music.• That was the rich man's panacea for the litany of ills of the poor.• And so on down the years the litany of excitement and drama has continued.• The litany was long and gruesome.• One year missing from this litany of successful street protest is 1981.Origin litany (1200-1300) Old French letanie, from Late Latin litania, from Greek litanos “asking urgently, praying” 