pericope

/pəˈrɪkəˌpi/

Other forms: pericopes

A pericope is a short passage from a book, like the pericopes that are sometimes read aloud during a wedding ceremony.

The Greek root of pericope is perikopē, which literally means "a cutting all around." In ancient Greece, the word was used to describe a bit of any book that was "cut out" or excerpted from the larger text, but it's come to refer mainly to Bible passages selected to read on special occasions, like weddings and funerals. Be careful not to confuse pericope with periscope!

Definitions of pericope

1. noun

   a selection from a book, especially from the Bible