homily

play

noun hom·i·ly \ ˈhä-mə-lē \

Updated on: 9 Aug 2017

Definition of homily

plural homilies

1 :a usually short sermon

a priest delivering his homily

2 :a lecture or discourse on or of a moral theme

3 :an inspirational catchphrase; also :platitude

See homily defined for English-language learners

See homily defined for kids

homily was our Word of the Day on 07/31/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of homily in a Sentence

The priest gave a brief homily on forgiveness.
We had to listen to another one of his homilies about the value of public service.
a politician with a fondness for homily

Recent Examples of homily from the Web

Like a Fading Shadow is a peculiar novel that comes that comes freighted with a scaffolding of meta-commentary, authorial second-guessing, and boozy, romantic homilies to youthful excess and the artistic life.

— jacob silverman, New Republic, "Can A Historical Novel Be Too Deeply Researched?," 16 Aug. 2017
In one of his homilies, Saint Francis de Sales tells us that no woman was dearer to Our Lady’s maternal heart than Mary Magdalene.

— nr interview, National Review, "Finding Peace with Mary Magdalene," 22 July 2017
In his homily, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, current president of the bishops’ conference, focused on the need for contemplation as a necessary means to such love.

— kathryn jean lopez, National Review, "Enough with ‘That Same Old Love’," 17 July 2017
Perez forged connections with grieving families, and his homilies were very personal, McElwee said.

— karen farkas, cleveland.com, "Bishop Nelson J. Perez is down-to-earth and 'meets people where they are,' former employee says," 11 July 2017
A Roman Catholic funeral Mass will be celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop John Dolanm, with Rev. Efrain Bautista, the pastor at Corpus Christi, delivering the homily.

— carl prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Sailor buried with full military honors," 7 July 2017
In someone else's hands, such an observation might feel like an off-the-shelf homily.

— kerry reid, chicagotribune.com, "Luis Alfaro delves into family mythology in 'St. Jude'," 19 May 2017
Religious homilies and paranoid exhortations spill from television sets where cartoons of men trapped in endlessly whirring machines dance dishearteningly.

— jeannette catsoulis, The Seattle Times, "‘Buster’s Mal Heart’ review: The making of a madman explored in puzzle pieces," 3 May 2017
A ceremony to bless the tartans and the families represented by the cloth follows a brief homily.

— gerri marmer, Washington Post, "Religion events from around the Washington area," 27 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'homily.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

homily Has Greek Roots

Gather around for the history of homily. The story starts with ancient Greek homilos, meaning "crowd" or "assembly." Greeks used homilos to create the verb homilein ("to consort with" or "to address"), as well as the noun homilia ("conversation"). Latin speakers borrowed homilia, then passed it on to Anglo-French. By the time it crossed into Middle English, the spelling had shifted to omelie, but by the mid-16th century the term had regained its "h" and the "y" of the modern spelling was added.

Origin and Etymology of homily

Middle English omelie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin homilia, from Late Greek, from Greek, conversation, discourse, from homilein to consort with, address, from homilos crowd, assembly; akin to Greek homos same — more at same

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

homily Synonyms

Synonyms

sermon

Related Words

sermonette; address, lecture, speech, talk; exhortation, preachment; lesson

Near Antonyms

profundity

HOMILY Defined for English Language Learners

homily

play

noun

Definition of homily for English Language Learners

: a usually short talk on a religious or moral topic
: advice that is often not wanted

Learn More about homily

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for homily Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about homily

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up homily? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

homily

Definition of homily

homily was our Word of the Day on 07/31/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of homily in a Sentence

Recent Examples of homily from the Web

homily Has Greek Roots

Origin and Etymology of homily

homily Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

HOMILY Defined for English Language Learners

homily

Definition of homily for English Language Learners

Learn More about homily

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

glabrous

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

Welcome to the New Words

Ask the Editors

Words of the Year: 1066

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Irregardless

Weird Plurals

Word Games

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Name that Color!

True or False?

SCRABBLE® Sprint

'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066

homily

Definition of homily

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

homily was our Word of the Day on 07/31/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of homily in a Sentence

Recent Examples of homily from the Web

homily Has Greek Roots

Origin and Etymology of homily

homily Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

HOMILY Defined for English Language Learners

homily

Definition of homily for English Language Learners

Learn More about homily

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066