Where does “sermon” come from?

Sermon derives from Middle English sermoun, from Anglo-Norman sermun, from Latin sermo meaning "speech" or "discourse," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ser- meaning "to join" or "connect."

sermon (English): Religious discourse; a written or spoken address...

Definitions

  1. Religious discourse; a written or spoken address...

Ancestry of “sermon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishsermounA talk or speech by one person; A sermon; a...
2Old Frenchsermonsermon (religious)
3Latinsermōa conversation, discussion
4Proto-Indo-Europeansermō—
5Proto-Indo-Europeansēr-to flow
6Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

Words derived from “sermon”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →