sermon

[ sur-muhn ]
See synonyms for: sermonsermons on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. 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.

  2. any serious speech, discourse, or exhortation, especially on a moral issue.

  1. a long, tedious speech.

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Origin of sermon

1
1150–1200; Middle English <Medieval Latin sermōn- (stem of sermō) speech from pulpit, Latin: discourse, equivalent to ser- (base of serere to link up, organize) + -mōn- noun suffix

Other words for sermon

Other words from sermon

  • ser·mon·less, adjective

Words Nearby sermon

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How to use sermon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sermon

sermon

/ (ˈsɜːmən) /


noun
    • an address of religious instruction or exhortation, often based on a passage from the Bible, esp one delivered during a church service

    • a written version of such an address

  1. a serious speech, esp one administering reproof

Origin of sermon

1
C12: via Old French from Latin sermō discourse, probably from serere to join together

Derived forms of sermon

  • sermonic (sɜːˈmɒnɪk) or sermonical, adjective

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