Word of the Day

: July 31, 2016

homily

noun HAH-muh-lee

What It Means

1 : a usually short sermon

2 : a lecture or discourse on a moral theme

3 : an inspirational catchphrase; also : platitude

homily in Context

The calendar features serene photographs captioned by inspirational proverbs and homilies.

"Deacons are ordained ministers in the Catholic Church but do not have the rank of priest. They can give homilies and preside at weddings, funerals and baptisms, but they cannot celebrate Mass." — Tom Kington, The Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2016

Did You Know?

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.