Kyriake

Kyriake is a Greek term from Κυριακή meaning “of the Lord” and is used in Christian contexts to denote the Lord’s Day, i.e., Sunday. In early Christian usage, Kyriake referred to the weekly day of worship observed by Christians in honor of the Resurrection, distinguishing Sunday from the Jewish Sabbath. The expression is often rendered in English as “the Lord’s Day.” The phrase kyriake hemera, literally “the Lord’s day,” appears in patristic sources as evidence of Sunday as the principal day of Christian assembly.

Historically, the shift from Sabbath observance to Sunday worship is reflected in liturgical texts and episcopal writings of the early church, where gatherings on the first day of the week are described or prescribed, and the Lord’s Day is emphasized as a distinctive Christian practice. The term thus functions as a linguistic marker for a key aspect of early Christian identity and liturgy.

In modern Greek, Κυριακή (Kiriaki) is the everyday name for Sunday. In English-language scholarship, Kyriake appears as a transliterated, scholarly term rather than common usage. Related terms include Kyriakon, meaning “the Lord’s house” and used for church buildings in some historical contexts, and Kyriakos, a given name derived from the same root.

See also: Lord’s Day, Sunday, Christian liturgy, early Christian worship practices.