kontakion
noun
kon·ta·kion
variants or contakion
kənˈtäkyȯn
plural kontakia or contakia
-yä
1
: a poetic sermon with numerous stanzas that was in common use in the Byzantine rite between the 6th and 8th centuries a.d.
2
: a usually short hymn in the Eastern Orthodox Church
Word History
Etymology
Middle Greek kontakion, literally, scroll, probably diminutive of Late Greek kontak-, kontax pole, from Greek kontos