Sermoner

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for a person who preaches or delivers religious discourses to a congregation
2. Refers to a preacher, a speaker who gives moral or religious addresses to listeners in a church
3. One who lectures on religious or moral matters in the manner of a preacher, especially an old-fashioned one

Etymology: "Sermoner" is a plain formation: the noun "sermon" with the agent suffix "-er" added, so it names a person who does the action the root describes. Its root, "sermon," came into English from Old French, which took it from Latin "sermo," meaning conversation, discourse, or speech. That Latin sense is the key to the older meaning: a sermon was originally any formal speech, and the religious sense narrowed later. The suffix "-er" is one of English's most productive tools for naming people by their activity, as in "baker," "teacher," or "writer." Attaching it to "sermon" gives a straightforward label for someone who delivers sermons, and the word follows that pattern without any change in form or sound.

Synonyms: preacher, sermonizer, homilist