martyrologies

Noun

martyrology (plural martyrologies)

1. The study of martyrs and martyrdom; the names and stories of martyrs, particularly
   • It needs further study for what it suggests of the gender dimension to martyrdom and martyrology.21 March 2016, Janet L. Nelson, "The Franks, the Martyrology of Usuard, and the Martyrs of Cordoba", Studies in Church History, Vol. 30: Martyrs and Martyrologies, pp. 67–80
   1. (capitalized, often) A liturgical calendar of days for the commemoration of formally recognized saints, usually including some biographical notes.
      • ... we know that Augustine, a monk in the time of Gregory the Great, took with him into England the martyrology of the Roman Church.1883, Alessio Aurelio Pelliccia, The Polity of the Christian Church..., p. 311
   2. Synonym of hagiography, a story of a saint's life and death.
   3. (Judaism, capitalized, often) Synonym of Eleh Ezkerah, a midrash concerning the Ten Martyrs killed by the Romans, usually read on both Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av.