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sermon

Etymology and origin of the English word sermon

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inherited borrowed derived
Latin sermo
English sermon

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈsɜː.mən/ (UK); /ˈsɝ.mən/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English sermoun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman sermun,[2][3][4][5] from Old French sermon,[2][4] and directly from Latin sermō (“discourse, speech, talk”),[2][3][4][5][6] probably related to serere “to join, link together”, as “a stringing together of words”.[3][4][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A discourse, usually from a pulpit and based on a text of Scripture, for religious instruction (before 1200).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The English and French sense is elliptical for Latin sermo religiosus “public religious discourse”.[4] Throughout Middle English the word also kept the classical sense of any talk or discourse (c. 1275), now obsolete.[7][4] It was used of the discourses of Christ and the Apostles from the 13th century, as in the Sermon on the Mount.[7][4] The transferred sense, a serious or tedious speech of instruction or reproof, dates from 1596.[7][4]

Timeline

  • before 1200 – a religious discourse.[7][3][4]
  • c. 1250 – the discourses of Christ and the Apostles.[7]
  • c. 1275 – any talk or discourse (obsolete).[7]
  • 1596 – a lengthy or tedious lecture.[7][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A religious discourse delivered as part of a church service, usually by a member of the clergy.
  2. A serious speech on conduct or duty; often, a long and tedious speech of reproof or exhortation; a lecture.

Word family

  • sermonic
  • sermonette
  • sermonize
  • homily
  • series
  • preach

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Sermon.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/sermon. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·