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sermon
7 dictionary results for: Sermon
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
ser·mon 
[sur-muhn] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[sur-muhn] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | a discourse for the purpose of religious instruction or exhortation, esp. 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, esp. on a moral issue. |
| 3. | a long, tedious speech. |
[Origin: 1150–1200; ME < ML sermōn- (s. of sermō) speech from pulpit, L: discourse, equiv. to ser- (base of serere to link up, organize) + -mōn- n. suffix]
] —Related forms
ser·mon·less, adjective
—Synonyms 2, 3. lecture. 3. harangue, tirade.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| ser·mon
(sûr'mən) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sermō, sermōn-, discourse; see ser-2 in Indo-European roots.] ser·mon'ic (-mŏn'ĭk), ser·mon'i·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adj. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
sermon
sermon
c.1200, from Anglo-Fr. sermun, O.Fr. sermon, from L. sermonem (nom. sermo) "discourse, speech, talk," originally "a stringing together of words," related to serere "to join" (see series). Main sense in Eng. and Fr. is eliptical for L. sermo religiosus. Dim. form sermonette is attested from 1814.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| sermon | |
noun | |
| 1. | an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service) |
| 2. | a moralistic rebuke; "your preaching is wasted on him" |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Sermon
Ser"mon\, n. [OE. sermoun, sermun, F. sermon, fr. L. sermo, -onis, a speaking, discourse, probably fr. serer, sertum, to join, connect; hence, a connected speech. See Series.]1. A discourse or address; a talk; a writing; as, the sermons of Chaucer. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 2. Specifically, a discourse delivered in public, usually by a clergyman, for the purpose of religious instruction and grounded on some text or passage of Scripture. This our life exempt from public haunts Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones and good in everything. --Shak. His preaching much, but more his practice, wrought, A living sermon of the truths he taught. --Dryden. 3. Hence, a serious address; a lecture on one's conduct or duty; an exhortation or reproof; a homily; -- often in a depreciatory sense.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Sermon
Ser"mon\, v. i. [Cf. OF. sermoner, F. sermonner to lecture one.] To speak; to discourse; to compose or deliver a sermon. [Obs.] --Holinshed. What needeth it to sermon of it more? --Chaucer.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Sermon
Ser"mon\, v. t. 1. To discourse to or of, as in a sermon. [Obs.] --Spenser. 2. To tutor; to lecture. [Poetic] --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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