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Homily Has Greek Roots
Gather round for a succinct history of homily. The story starts with the ancient Greek word homilos, meaning "crowd" or "assembly," and travels through related Greek words homilein, "to address," and homilia, "conversation, discourse." Homilia eventually takes on the "usually short sermon" meaning in our modern homily, and then is incorporated into the Latin used by writers of the early first millennium. It reaches English speakers of the 14th century by way of Anglo-French, but when it arrives it's spelled omelie. By the mid-16th century the "h" is back, and the "y" of the modern spelling has found its place. A side note to our tale is this: be careful not to confuse homily with hominy, a 17th century word of Virginia Algonquian origin denoting a key ingredient in the Mexican soup posole (which, if we may be so corny, is a dish worth preaching about).
Examples of homily in a Sentence
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
After homilies, Francis was always game to pose for selfies, especially with teens.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
His discipline quickly reasserted itself, and with it his store of homilies.
—Peter Goldman, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024
In his homily, the pope spoke of the significance of the ashes and the act of receiving them.
—Rachel Wolf, Fox News, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for homily
Cite this Entry
“Homily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homily. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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