sermoun

Middle English

Alternative forms

• sermon, sermun, sarmoun, sarmoune, sermown, sermond, sermone

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman sermun, from Latin sermō, sermōnem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛrmuːn/, /ˈsɛrmun/
• (Late Middle English) IPA^(key): /ˈsarmun/

Noun

sermoun (plural sermouns)

1. A (generally long and as a monologue) talk or speech by one person.
2. A sermon; a religious speech (especially one by early Christians)
3. The religious sermons and proselytising done by early Christians.
4. Conversation, chatter; talking or conversing in general.
5. One's manner or way of talking or writing; the hallmarks of one's prose.
6. A text or piece of literature, especially one related to religion.
7. A portion of a text devoted to a certain topic or domain.
8. (rare) A language; a form of speech used by a speech community.

Related terms

• sermonen
• sermonynge

Descendants

• English: sermon, sarmon (dialectal)
• Scots: sermon

References

• “sermǒun, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-11-20.