1. Plural of invitatory; liturgical psalms or antiphons sung at the beginning of the canonical hours in Christian worship, especially in the Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions.
Usage: religious/liturgical; formal

Examples

• The choir began the morning service with the traditional invitatories.
• In monastic communities, the invitatories set the tone for daily prayer.
• The priest led the congregation through the invitatories at the start of Matins.
• Medieval manuscripts often contained beautifully illuminated invitatories.
• The invitatories invite the faithful to praise and worship.