Definition of HOMILY

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.

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 on the Web

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, who has spent years trying to recover the Irish church's credibility following decades of abuse and cover-up, dedicated his Sunday homily to Francis' Aug. 25-26 trip. — Nicole Winfield, Fox News, "Irish archbishop urges pope to speak frankly about abuse," 19 Aug. 2018 With his popular online film reviews, political commentary and plain-English homilies, the 59-year old bishop has struck a nerve. — Matthew Hennessey, WSJ, "The Bishop of Catholic Social Media," 29 Nov. 2018 How many of you pray for these women who are thrown away, for these women who are used, for these girls who have to sell their own dignity to have a job?’’ Francis asked during his morning homily Friday. — Nicole Winfield, BostonGlobe.com, "Pope: Abortion is ‘white glove’ equivalent to Nazi crimes," 17 June 2018 In an Easter Vigil homily Saturday, Pope Francis urged Roman Catholics to not remain paralyzed in the face of injustices. — Roman Catholic, Fox News, "Pope Francis in Easter Vigil baptizes 8, including beggar turned hero," 1 Apr. 2018 Along with a sense of accomplishment, Schultz said his 99 triathlons have provided him with more than a few subjects for homilies. — Steve Sadin, chicagotribune.com, "Mass start: Schiller Park priest set to compete in 100th triathlon," 11 July 2018 For young Eddy, the harrowing experience of his mother killing his father is the jumping-off point for his homilies on overcoming adversity, dealing with the ups and downs of life and not letting the hand you're dealt determine your fate. — Kim Chatelain, NOLA.com, "Biting the bullet of faith: Deacon Eddy's story," 1 Apr. 2018 The book is messy as hell: full of insipid platitudes, trite homilies, and self-regarding detours delivered with the assurance of a man who fully expects to see his childhood finger paintings in a museum someday. — Laurie Penny, Longreads, "Peterson’s Complaint," 12 July 2018 Bishop Curry stands in the lineage of Black prophetic preachers like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bookending his homily with Dr. King’s words, Bishop Curry reminded us that Black preachers have always challenged the world to be better. — Candice Benbow, Glamour, "My Bishop, Most Rev. Michael Curry, Just Changed the History of Royal Weddings—Here's Why His Sermon Matters," 19 May 2018

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.