sermon
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a talk given by a priest or religious leader during a church service about a moral or religious subject.
a discourse delivered by a member of the clergy during a religious service, typically based on a text from scripture.
Simple“The priest gave a short sermon about the importance of helping your neighbours.”
In context“The bishop delivered a moving sermon that explored the intersection of ancient scripture and modern social challenges.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
a long, serious, and often boring talk where someone tells you what you are doing wrong.
a lengthy and tedious speech of reproof or exhortation regarding a person's conduct.
Simple“I asked my dad for some money, but I just got a long sermon about saving.”
In context“After arriving home two hours past her curfew, she had to endure a stern sermon from her parents regarding responsibility and trust.”
From Middle English sermoun, from Anglo-Norman sermun and/or Old French sermon, from Latin sermō, sermōnem, from Proto-Indo-European sermō, from ser- (“to bind”) + *-mō.
From Middle English sermonen, from Old French sermoner, from sermon (see above).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.