Word - 42

HOMILY \HAH-muh-lee\ noun

1 : a usually short sermon

*2 : a lecture or discourse on or of a moral theme

3 : an inspirational catchphrase; also : platitude

Example sentence:

"I don't mind eating tofu burgers," said Darnell, "as long as I don't have to hear a homily on the virtues of vegetarianism."

Did you know?

Gather around for the history of "homily." The story starts with ancient Greek "homilos," meaning "crowd" or "assembly." Greeks used "homilos" to create the verb "homilein" ("to consort with" or "to address"), as well as the noun "homilia" ("conversation"). Latin speakers borrowed "homilia," then passed it on to Anglo-French. By the time it crossed into Middle English, the spelling had shifted to "omelie," but by the mid-16th century the term had regained its "h" and added the "y" of the modern spelling.

Word - 41

ANATHEMA \uh-NATH-uh-muh\ noun

1 a : one that is cursed by ecclesiastical authority
*b: someone or something intensely disliked or loathed
2 a : a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority and accompanied by excommunication
b : a vigorous denunciation : curse

Example sentence:
Maryam's radical political views are anathema to her more conservative sister.

Did you know?

Historically, "anathema" can be considered a one-word oxymoron. When it first appeared in English in 1526, it was used to refer to something accursed. Shortly thereafter, however, people also began to use it to refer to something consecrated to divine use -- generally a good thing. Why the contradiction? "Anathema" comes from Greek, where it initially meant "anything devoted" and later "anything devoted to evil." The "consecrated to divine use" sense of "anathema" comes from that earlier Greek use but is not widely used today.