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DictionarynovenaNine-day prayer devotion
noun

novena

noh-VEE-nuh/noʊˈvinə/

A nine-day period of devotional prayer, especially in Catholic practice.

The man completes a novena by praying on nine successive days.

A compact nine-day sequence shows the same man praying in the same devotional setting on each successive calendar date, making both prayer and its repetition over nine days visible.
Etymology
novenaLatinninefold

Latin novenus means “ninefold” and comes from novem, “nine.” In a novena, that number describes the nine successive days over which the prayers or services are offered.

In context

Monsignor Frank Chiodo1:17
the most powerful novena nine days of Prayer is precisely the nine days between the Ascension and Pentecost
What is a Novena? Learn why it is so powerful.

More examples

  • The parish gathers each evening during the novena.
  • Today is the ninth and final day of our novena.
  • He prays several novenas throughout the year.

Forms

novena · novenas

Similar words

devotion
A broader term for religious observance, without a fixed duration.
prayer
Names an act of worship rather than a nine-day observance.