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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
Ruth Graham, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Readings and the gospel will be followed by a homily.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 18 May 2025
Soon prayers would begin, followed by a familiar order: readings from the Bible, the homily by Chiclayo’s new bishop, communion.
—Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
The new pope, born Robert Francis Prevost in Dolton, Ill., spoke in Spanish, Italian and English during the homily.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 9 May 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 14 Jun. 2025.
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