Dolorosos

Dolorosos is the masculine plural form of the Spanish adjective doloroso, meaning painful or sorrowful. In Spanish, the adjective describes feelings, events, or atmospheres associated with sorrow or distress, and it agrees in gender and number (doloroso/dolorosa, dolorosos/dolorosas).

In religious contexts, Los Misterios Dolorosos (the Sorrowful Mysteries) refer to a set of five events from the Passion of Christ that are meditated upon in the Catholic Rosary. The five mysteries are the Agony in the Garden, the Scourging at the Pillar, the Crowning with Thorns, the Carrying of the Cross, and the Crucifixion. These mysteries are traditionally prayed on Tuesdays and Fridays in many devotional practices, though regional customs vary.

In music, the term doloroso (Italian origin) is used to indicate a mournful or sorrowful mood in a piece. While the Spanish plural dolorosos is not typically used as a musical term, the concept of a sorrowful character is captured by the Italian directive doloroso, with corresponding plural forms in Italian being dolorosi (masculine) or dolorose (feminine).

Etymologically, doloroso derives from the Latin dolor, meaning pain or grief. The word is found in various Romance languages with meanings related to pain, sorrow, or lament. The term can appear in literary, liturgical, and musical contexts, conveying a sense of sadness or solemnity.