hom·i·ly

(hŏm′ə-lē)

n. pl. hom·i·lies

1. A sermon, especially one intended to explain the practical and moral implications of a particular scriptural passage.

2. A moralizing lecture or admonition that is often tedious or condescending.

3. A platitudinous or inspirational saying: "'Receiving is a form of giving,' she said, in one of those sudden banal homilies that came to her every now and again" (Willie Morris).

[Middle English omelie, from Old French, from Late Latin homīlia, from Greek homīliā, discourse, from homīlos, crowd; see sem- in Indo-European roots.]

hom′i·list n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

homily

(ˈhɒmɪlɪ)

n, pl -lies

1. (Ecclesiastical Terms) a sermon or discourse on a moral or religious topic

2. moralizing talk or writing

[C14: from Church Latin homīlia, from Greek: discourse, from homilein to converse with, from homilos crowd, from homou together + ilē crowd]

ˈhomilist n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hom•i•ly

(ˈhɒm ə li)

n., pl. -lies.

1. a sermon typically on a scriptural topic.

2. an admonitory or moralizing discourse.

3. an inspirational saying or cliché.

[1545–55; < Late Latin homīlia < Greek homīlía assembly, sermon =hómīl(os) crowd (hom(oû) together + -īlos, comb. form of ilē crowd)]

homily

a sermon or serious admonition. — homilist, homilete, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

homily - a sermon on a moral or religious topic

preachment

preaching, sermon, discourse - an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service)

homily

noun sermon, talk, address, speech, lecture, preaching, discourse, oration, declamation a receptive audience for his homily on moral values

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

homélie

omelia predica

homilia

homily

[ˈhɒmɪlɪ] N (homilies (pl)) → homilía f (fig) → sermón m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

homily

[ˈhɒmɪli] n → homélie f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

homily

n → Predigt f; (fig also) → Sermon m (pej)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

homily

[ˈhɒmɪlɪ] n (frm) → omelia

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

After favouring them with some heads of that discourse, he remarked that he considered the subject of the day's homily, ill-chosen; which was the less excusable, he added, when there were so many subjects "going about."

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The priest addressed a hasty homily to the pair on the perils of life, on the duties they must, some day, inculcate upon their children,--throwing in, at this point, an indirect reproach to Ginevra on the absence of her parents; then, after uniting them before God, as the mayor had united them before the law, he left the now married couple.

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He, a poor idiot, caged in his narrow cell, was as much lifted up to God, while gazing on the mild light, as the freest and most favoured man in all the spacious city; and in his ill-remembered prayer, and in the fragment of the childish hymn, with which he sung and crooned himself asleep, there breathed as true a spirit as ever studied homily expressed, or old cathedral arches echoed.

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'All day had been flooding with rain; we could not go to church, so Joseph must needs get up a congregation in the garret; and, while Hindley and his wife basked downstairs before a comfortable fire - doing anything but reading their Bibles, I'll answer for it - Heathcliff, myself, and the unhappy ploughboy were commanded to take our prayer-books, and mount: we were ranged in a row, on a sack of corn, groaning and shivering, and hoping that Joseph would shiver too, so that he might give us a short homily for his own sake.

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Put me in mind, Louisa, to lend him the homily ‘against peril of idolatry,’ at his next visit.”

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"Well, no, I think it will probably be a lecture," answered Polly, laughing, for Jenny's grateful service and affectionate eyes confirmed the purpose which Miss Mills' little homily had suggested.

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Such was the homily with which he improved and pointed the occasion to the company in the Lodge before turning into the sallow yard again, and going with his own poor shabby dignity past the Collegian in the dressing-gown who had no coat, and past the Collegian in the sea-side slippers who had no shoes, and past the stout greengrocer Collegian in the corduroy knee-breeches who had no cares, and past the lean clerk Collegian in buttonless black who had no hopes, up his own poor shabby staircase to his own poor shabby room.

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Bessie supplied the hiatus by a homily of an hour's length, in which she proved beyond a doubt that I was the most wicked and abandoned child ever reared under a roof.

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No company, a walk, a family dinner of four, and an evening of looking over books and pictures; Miss Murdstone with a homily before her, and her eye upon us, keeping guard vigilantly.

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I have composed many a homily on her back, to the edification of my brethren of the convent, and many poor Christian souls.''

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"An excellent homily," he said, after a moment's pause.

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The girl's hands were lying in her lap; her head was lowered as if in deep thought; and the other went on delivering a sort of homily. Ingratitude was condemned in it, the sinfulness of pride was pointed out--together with the proverbial fact that it "goes before a fall." There were also some sound remarks as to the danger of nonsensical notions and the disadvantages of a quick temper.

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