noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:ĭnʹtroit
Received-Pronunciation:ĭntrōʹĭt
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈɪntɹɔɪt/
Received-Pronunciation:/ɪnˈtɹəʊɪt/
General-American:/ˈɪnˌtɹɔɪt/
General-American:/ən-/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɔɪt
rhymes with -əʊɪt
1
noun
Meaning 1
A prayer, typically part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible, read or sung at the start of Mass while or immediately after the priest ascends to the altar.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: Catholicism, Christianity, Roman-Catholicism, entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: introitus
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Any piece of choral music, especially a setting of an anthem or a psalm, sung at the opening of a church service.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: Christianity, Protestantism, entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The action of entering or going in; an entrance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
An introduction.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
a composition of vocal music that is appropriate for opening church services
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: musical composition, opus, composition, piece, piece of music
History
Etymology
PIE word *h1én From Late Middle English introite (“act of entering in or into, entrance; place of entrance”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman introït, introïte (“introit”), or from its etymon Latin introitus (“act of entering in or into, entrance; passage; place of entrance; (figuratively) beginning, introduction, prelude”), from introeō (“to enter, go in”) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs). Introeō is derived from intrō (“to enter, go into”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h1én (“in”)) + eō (“to go”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h1ey- (“to go”)).
Across languages
Translations
24 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Aramaic:
ܒܝܬܐ
(baytā’)
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Dutch:
introïtus
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Esperanto:
introitus
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Estonian:
introitus
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Finnish:
introitus
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
French:
introït
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
German:
Introitus
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Hungarian:
introitus
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Ido:
introitus
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Italian:
introito
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Korean:
입당송
(ipdangsong)
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Latin:
introitus
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Macedonian:
пса́лтир
(psáltir)
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Macedonian:
интрои́т
(introít)
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Norwegian Bokmål:
introitus
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Norwegian Nynorsk:
introitus
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Polish:
introit
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Portuguese:
introito
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Russian:
интро́ит
(intróit)
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Spanish:
introito
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Swedish:
introitus
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Ukrainian:
інтройт
(introjt)
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Welsh:
introit
— part of a psalm or other portion of the Bible read or sung at Mass immediately after the priest ascends to the altar
Welsh:
introit
— composition of vocal music sung at the opening of a church service
