[sur-muh
n] 
| 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. |
| ser·mon (sûr'mən) 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. |