Sermon
/ˈsɜːr.mən/noun
A talk given by a religious leader during worship, especially one based on a biblical text.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Latin *sermo*, meaning “conversation” or “speech,” so its religious force grew out of the ancient idea that spoken words themselves could carry authority.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wer-
“to speak, say”
Latin
Latin
sermo
“speech, talk, conversation”
Late Latin
Latin
sermo
“discourse, religious instruction”
Old French
Old French
sermon
“religious discourse or homily”
Middle English
English
sermon
“a religious discourse delivered in church”
Modern English
English
sermon
“a speech of moral or religious instruction”
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