Sometimes spelled "Piyyut", this term refers to a lyrical
composition intended to embellish an obligatory prayer
or any other Jewish
religious ceremony, communal
. In a wider sense, piyut is the totality of compositions composed in various genre
s of Hebrew liturgical poetry
from the 1st century CE to the late 18th century.
In ancient times, the piyutim (pl. from piyut) were intended to replace most of the set versions of prayer and to serve as substitutes. They ensured a veriety of obligatory prayers, mainly on Sabbaths and festivals. In a later period, when the prayers became fixed, sections of piyut were interspersed in certain places within the set patterns of the prayers. Obligatory prayers were also embellished by special sets of piyutim for private occasions, such as weddings, circumcisions, and mourning.