homily

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 17, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>homily</strong> &#149; \HAH-muh-lee\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p>A homily is a usually short talk on a religious or moral topic. <em>Homily</em> may also refer to an inspirational catchphrase, or to a trite or stale remark.</p> <p>// The calendar features serene photographs captioned by inspirational proverbs and <em>homilies</em>.</p> <p>// We had to listen to another one of his <em>homilies</em> about the value of public service.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homily">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"His rich baritone voice and charismatic delivery have labeled him a distinguished motivational speaker and preacher who delivers <em>homilies</em> on topics regarding hope, forgiveness, faith, prosperity, relationships, and other pertinent issues involving the human condition." — Yolanda Baruch, <em>Forbes</em>, 7 Mar. 2023</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>Gather round for a succinct history of <em>homily</em>. The story starts with the ancient Greek word <em>homilos</em>, meaning "crowd" or "assembly," and travels through related Greek words <em>homilein</em>, "to address," and <em>homilia</em>, "conversation, discourse." <em>Homilia</em> eventually takes on the "usually short sermon" meaning in our modern <em>homily</em>, and then is incorporated into the Latin used by writers of the early first millennium. It reaches English speakers of the 14th century by way of Anglo-French, but when it arrives it's spelled <em>omelie</em>. By the mid-16th century the "h" is back, and the "y" of the modern spelling has found its place. A side note to our tale is this: be careful not to confuse <em>homily</em> with <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hominy"><em>hominy</em></a>, a 17th century