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sermon

[ sur-muhn ]
/ ˈsɜr mən /
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noun
a discourse for the purpose of religious instruction or exhortation, especially one based on a text of Scripture and delivered by a member of the clergy as part of a religious service.
any serious speech, discourse, or exhortation, especially on a moral issue.
a long, tedious speech.

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Origin of sermon

1150–1200; Middle English <Medieval Latin sermƍn- (stem of sermƍ) speech from pulpit, Latin: discourse, equivalent to ser- (base of serere to link up, organize) + -mƍn- noun suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM sermon

ser·mon·less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sermon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sermon

sermon
/ (ˈsɜːmən) /

noun
  1. an address of religious instruction or exhortation, often based on a passage from the Bible, esp one delivered during a church service
  2. a written version of such an address
a serious speech, esp one administering reproof

Derived forms of sermon

sermonic (sɜːˈmɒnÉȘk) or sermonical, adjective

Word Origin for sermon

C12: via Old French from Latin sermƍ discourse, probably from serere to join together
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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