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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Sermo(u)n(e , n. Also: sermoin, sarmon(d, sermond, -t(e, sermand, sermound, -t, sermownd, serment. [ME and e.m.E. sermun (a1200), sarmun (Ancr. R.), sermon (Cursor M.), sermoun (14th c.), sermond (c1400) etc., OF sermon (c980 in Larousse), L. sermōn- talk, conversation, discourse.

1. Something said, discourse, speech, conversation, discussion; an instance of this.Also (once) const. of, and to mak sermon. Also pl. in form but perhaps with sing. meaning.(1) a1400 Leg. S. v 392.
A fare ȝounge man Sancte John fand, The quhilk … He wane to God thru his sermone ?1438 Alex. ii 6742.
‘Bot lat we this speking be And to our mater turn will we … ' Now Marciane leiffis his sermoun [F. sermon] c1400 Troy-bk. ii 93 (D).
Vlixes … of wordes hys sermoune To hem spak thus 1531 Bell. Boece II 177.
Thair wes na sermone [M. litill consultacioun] amang thaim how thair army suld be arrayit c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus i 739.
Ane squier … [did] reheirs ane certane nyse sermonis [With argu]mentis and divers questionis … of ȝow ladyis 1560 Rolland Seven S. 2786.
Sa scho began … to say furth hir sermon 1567 G. Ball. 150.
Tak gude keip To thame that cumis to thé, In to the habite of ane scheip, With subtell sermonis slie. For doutles thay ar … Fals wolfis vnder cot a1585 Polwart Flyt. 152.
Bot breflie, beist, I answer thé, In sermone schort I am content(b) 1513 Doug. i xi 110.
Dido … set all hir mycht With sermondis seir forto prolong the nycht … Full mony demand of Priam speir scho wald And questionys seir twichyng Hector … Quhat kynd hors Diomede had [etc.] 1513 Doug. xiii viii 1.
‘Maist riall king [etc.] … ' quod he [etc.] … Wyth sikkyn sermond athir othir grat a1568 Scott xxxvi 19.
Only to Thé I did offend May non my mis bot Thow amend As by Thy sermondis Thow art kend Ourcum all contrarie(c) a1538 Abell 101a.
His lady … confort him with a lang sermont sayand at nocht allanerlie at wes schame to him to tresnablie to gife owr the cete [etc.](d) a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 1511.
Quhilk ar the sarmonis quhilk ȝe at vthir speir?(2) 1560 Acts II 533/1.
That sacramentis … be ministrat be lauchfull ministeris … into quhais mouthis God has put sum sermon of exhortation(3) a1400 Leg. S. xxxviii 139.
Thane sad scho til hir husband sone ‘Blissit be thu [etc.]’ & quhene scho had sic sermone mad, That [etc.] ?1438 Alex. i 322.
[He] maid him prayer and sermoun To pas thair errand to the king ?1438 Alex. ii 4557.
Thus thay spak, makand thare sermoun

b. Language, style, mode of expression. a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 270.
Of rethorick the prettick he micht leir, In breif sermone ane pregnant sentence wryte a1538 Abell 65b.
He wes … in sermon maist sapient

2. a. A discourse on a religious theme. b. specif. Preaching, esp. in a church, also, the preaching of Christ and the Apostles. c. That part of a religious service in which preaching takes place, esp. in the Post-Reformation Church the occasion of preaching of the Word, passing into a formal act of worship, divine service. d. The matter preached.There is some ambiguity between senses a, b and c.a. a1400 Leg. S. xxxiii 328.
Bot to the kyng … Of foure thingis he sermone made; Thane first that he suld nocht irke Til honoure God [etc.] 1490 Irland Mir. III 43/8.
Of it I haue writtin at lenth in the ferd buk of the sentens speculatiue multum and has maid a buk in Latyn and part of sermoundis in this langage c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 203/13.
The eloquence off ornat rethorye, The naturall science filosophicall … The theologgis sermon, the fablis off poetryeb. a1400 Leg. S. xxxiv 130.
[T]o the maste kirk ane othir day, Thar to preche, he tuk his way, Quhare the gretaste of the towne Assemlyt to se his sermone ?1438 Alex. i 2922.
He hes me measured on the grein Lyand as into orisounis Nouther for prayers na sermounis c1420 Wynt. ix 1425.
The Qwene … Tuk hyr coronatyowne [etc.]: Ane sermownd he [sc. the Bishop of Dunkeld] made thare Accordand welle to the matere c1450-2 Howlat 661.
The Pape and the patriarkis, prelatis … Welcummit thaim wynly … With haly sermonis 1490 Irland Mir. II 37/23.
In a sermount he [sc. Augustine] sais that [etc.] c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 165/17.
My brethir oft hes maid thé supplicationis Be epistillis sermonis and relationis To tak the abyte 1533 Gau 82/8.
Quhen he prechit the sueit sermond to thayme apone the montane c1520-c1535 Nisbet I 13.
The serment of Petir befor the congregatioun at Jerusalem 1540 Lynd. Sat. 3433.
Now caus sum of ȝour cunning clarks … That can weill preiche the veritie, And gif to sum of them command Ane sermon for to make fra-hand. … As ȝe have said I am content To gar sum preich 1570 Leslie 271.
Eftir the returning of the lairde Dun with the Queins ansuer to Perth, Johne Knox past to the parishe kirke … and maid a publick sermound; declaring that it was most acceptable service to God to destroy … the altaris [etc.] 1600-1610 Melvill 164.
Sa that bathe in thair prayers to God, and sermontes in publict to the peiple, they sould haiff in speciall recommendation sa guid, sa holie, and wholsome a cause 1690 Shields Grievances and Sufferings 34.
James Davie … and several others … at sermons in the fieldsc. (1) 1560 Edinb. B. Rec. III 86.
That fra the last jow of the bell to the saidis sermonis to the finall end thairfoir thair be nather meit nor drynk sauld 1576 St. A. Kirk S. 422.
That … the sermon begyn on the Sunday at half howre to ten and to be endit at the farrest at elevin howris a1578 Pitsc. II 56/28 and 57/7.
Dene Johnne Winram … doctour of theologie maid the sermond that day. His text was the xiij chapter of Mathew … Then the said sermoin being done [etc.] 1591 Edinb. B. Rec. 39.
The Sabboth day is … prophanit … be sic as abyding fra the sermones vaigs throw the streitts, makand [etc.](b) 1565 Canongate Kirk S. (ed.) 26.
The quhilk day efter none, at the sermound, the haill faythfull wotit in chesing the elderis and dioconis 1565–6 Edinb. Old Acc. II 220.
The stall quhair the provest sittis att the sermond 1574 Sc. Ant. XIII 31.
The bell to begin to ryne upon Sonday at four hours in the morning, the sermond to begyne at five hours a1578 Pitsc. II 56/28 (see (1) above). 1651 Nicoll Diary 43.
The kirk being … prepared … and ane chyre set in a fitting place for heiring of a sermound … the kingis majestie entered the same … and first setteth himself in his chyre for heiring the sermound and being quyetlie composed to attentioun, Mr. Robert Douglas, moderator … eftir incalling of God by prayer, preached the sermound following. The text quhairof wes this: 2 Kinges xi 12 and 17 versis … Sermound being endit prayer wes maid 1663 Craven Ch. in Orkney I 16.
[The funeral took place on a Sunday] The bischopes … in their severall sermandis taught that day in the Eest Kirk of Edinburgh(c) 1570 Misc. Bann. C. I 40.
John Knox … luiking up to the heaving, as gif he had bene begynand a prayer befoir the sermont c1615 Chron. Kings 167.
His maiestie com to the grit kirk of Edinburgh quhair efter the serment, the king … makis ane orisoune(2) 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 141.
Sonday the 10 June the ducke, Huntlie, the bischope Athenis, Claud, etc. were at sermond 1595 St. A. Kirk S. 808.
That na buith durris … be opint upon Sonday … eftir the ringing of the last bell to sermone a1650 Row 350.
After he came from sermon c1650 Spalding I 87.
He wes not longsum bot schort at sermon 1654 Stirling Ant. II 17.
The minister … did exhort the people to meit upon Setterday nixt to sermone for the better preparatioune of the receaving of the selebratioun of the … Lordes supperpl. a1568 Scott i 121.
For sum ar sene at sermonis seme sa halye 1660 A. Hay Diary 234.
After sermons my wiffe swerfed in the kirk(3) 1606 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 55.
The ordinar officieris … kepis not the sermones, bot drinkis both Saboth day and vlk day in tyme of sermone 1646 Moray Synod 81.
Where one goeth to heare sermone in some of thair paroches three goe to heare masses 1706 Cranna Fraserburgh 98.
[A minister] is … to make offer to the magistrates to come and preach on the next Lord's Day, and in case he get access he is to have sermon as said is, and declare the church vacant(4) 1571 St. A. Kirk S. 361.
Tweching the tyme of sermone … the superintendent … hes ordeined that … the minister sal begin to teache … ane litle befoir ten howris [etc.] 1596 Paisley B. Rec. 182.
In tyme of sermont on the Sonday 1598 Elgin Rec. II 67.
Alexander Steuart was accusit for halding folkis in his clois the tyme of the hindmost bell and sermoun 1606 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 55 (see (3) above). 1612 Dundonald Par. Rec. 233.
Thomas Rodman … convict of laching the tym of sermon on the Sabboth 1619 Perth Kirk S. 5 Jan.
Eldaris reportit … that they perceaueit nothing but gude in thair visitatione the tymes of the afoirnone and efter noneis sarmondis(5) attrib. 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 113.
Sonday the 29 day, at sermond tyme 1681 Colvil Whig's Suppl. (1751) i 89.
Ye will play with lords and lairds All sermon time at dice and cards — 1667 Edinb. Test. LXXIII 45.
Ane little byble with ane vther sermon bookd. 1600-1610 Melvill 33.
Ther was twa in St. Androis wha war aydant heirars, and wrot his sermonts 1600-1610 Melvill 37.
It cam in my mynd to pen a sermont vpon a part of Scripture

3. transf. A discourse or treatise on a, usu., serious theme, freq. containing information or moral instructions; a speech or oration. 1490 Irland Mir. I 83/7.
Of thire twa [rivers] I haue tretit at lenthe in mony vthire werkis and sermounis 1513 Doug. i viii 50.
Fra thai war enterit in the tempill tho And licens grantit thame to speke … The gretast oratour, Ilioneus, With plesand voce begouth his sermond thus: ‘O hie princes quhamto Jupiter has grant To beld ane new cyte [etc.]’ 1533 Bell. Livy II 142/3.
The … rumour thareof was haldin doun amang the Veanis for fere of the king; for he that wald have schewin sic thingis suld nocht haue bene repute for ane autor of new sermoun, bot erare for ane movare of seditioun [L. pro seditionis eum principe non vani sermonis auctore habebat] 1540 Lynd. Sat. 4607 (B).
Now of my sermond I have maid ane end a1568 Bann. MS I p. 40/22.
[The bird] Proceeding furth so in hir sermond seir With curious not and wirdis scherp and kene [etc.] a1568 Bann. MS I p. 41/86.
Incontinent this bird persauit weill How at hir sermone bate my conscience 1590 Crim. Trials I ii 211.
Sathan stwid, as in a pulpet, makand ane sermond of dowtsum speichis