[Ki-ri-e E-li-s'n ]. “Lord, have mercy.” The first
movement of the Catholic mass. Both the music and the words are so
called. In the Anglican Church, after each commandment, the response
is, “Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this
law.”
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
