homily

Etymology

Came into English through Middle English omelī, omelīe, omelye, from Old French omelie and directly from Late Latin homīlia (“homily”), which itself came from Ancient Greek ὁμῑλίᾱ (homīlíā, “homily; instruction”). That word was formed from ὅμῑλος (hómīlos, “crowd, throng”) plus -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming abstract feminine nouns), and ὅμῑλος in turn derives from ὁμός (homós, “common; same”) plus ῑ̓́λη (ī́lē, “crowd”), from εἴλω (eílō, “to aggregate”).