homily

[ hom-uh-lee ]

noun

, plural hom·i·lies.

1. a sermon, usually on a Biblical topic and usually of a nondoctrinal nature.
2. an admonitory or moralizing discourse.
3. an inspirational saying or cliché.

homily

/ ˈhɒmɪlɪ /

noun

1. a sermon or discourse on a moral or religious topic
2. moralizing talk or writing

Derived Forms

• ˈhomilist, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of homily¹

1545–55; < Late Latin homīlia < Greek homīlía assembly, sermon, equivalent to hómīl ( os ) crowd ( hom ( oû ) together + -īlos, masculine combining form of ī́lē (feminine) crowd) + -ia -y ³; replacing Middle English omelie < Middle French < Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of homily¹

C14: from Church Latin homīlia, from Greek: discourse, from homilein to converse with, from homilos crowd, from homou together + ilē crowd

Example Sentences

Let’s begin with a homily from former President Barack Obama: Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?

From Slate

The Rev. James Anguiano, moderator of the Curia and vicar general of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, delivered a homily in Spanish and English.

From Los Angeles Times

The manuscript itself contains texts including the first complete epistle of Peter, the Book of Jonah, and an Easter homily.

From BBC

Ahead of the homily, the part of the service when the priest explains the Gospel reading in further detail, I elected to relieve my mom of dog duty, knowing she wouldn’t want to miss the crux of the mass.

From Salon

But, on Saturday, he took part in a two-hour Easter vigil during which he read a lengthy homily.

From BBC

Related Words

• lecture