[MIA_eccl1212]

the Lord our light??

[Verginius Rufus]

Kyrie is the vocative (direct address) of kyrios, "lord." Eleison is an aorist active imperative from the verb eleeo (the O is an omega), "to have pity on," "to show mercy on"--so the phrase is translated "Lord, have mercy." It's the only Greek that survived in the traditional Latin Mass (along with Christe, eleison, "Christ, have mercy").