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-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] homi·list n. |
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