preach
- preach
preach (
v.) late
O.E. predician, a loan word from Church Latin, reborrowed 12c. as
preachen, from
O.Fr. prechier (11c.), from
L.L. predicare "
to proclaim publicly, announce" (in Medieval Latin "
to preach"), from
L. prae "
before" (see
PRE- (
Cf. pre-)) +
dicare "
to proclaim, to say" (see
DICTION (
Cf. diction)). Related:
Preached;
preaching. To
preach to the converted is recorded from 1867.
Etymology dictionary.
2014.
Synonyms:
Look at other dictionaries:
preach — preach·able; preach·er; preach·er·less; preach·er·ly; preach·er·ship; preach·ifi·ca·tion; preach·ify; preach·i·ly; preach·i·ness; preach·ment; un·preach; preach; preach·ing·ly; … English syllables
preach — [ pritʃ ] verb * 1. ) intransitive or transitive to talk about a religious subject at a religious meeting, especially in church: preach a sermon: The Reverend Hugh McKeag preached the sermon. preach to: That afternoon he preached to three… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
Preach — Preach, v. t. 1. To proclaim by public discourse; to utter in a sermon or a formal religious harangue. [1913 Webster] That Cristes gospel truly wolde preche. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] The Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
preach — [pri:tʃ] v [Date: 1200 1300; : Old French; Origin: prechier, from Late Latin praedicare, from Latin dicare to say publicly ] 1.) [I and T] to talk about a religious subject in a public place, especially in a church during a service preach to ▪… … Dictionary of contemporary English
preach´i|ly — preach|y «PREE chee», adjective, preach|i|er, preach|i|est. Informal. 1. inclined to preach: »Of the 1,400 odd books…many, of course, are teachy, preachy pills of moralism (Newsweek) … Useful english dictionary
preach|y — «PREE chee», adjective, preach|i|er, preach|i|est. Informal. 1. inclined to preach: »Of the 1,400 odd books…many, of course, are teachy, preachy pills of moralism (Newsweek) … Useful english dictionary
Preach — Preach, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Preached}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Preaching}.] [OE. prechen, OF. preechier, F. pr[^e]cher, fr. L. praedicare to cry in public, to proclaim; prae before + dicare to make known, dicere to say; or perhaps from (assumed) LL.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Preach — Preach, n. [Cf. F. pr[^e]che, fr. pr[^e]cher. See {Preach}, v.] A religious discourse. [Obs.] Hooker. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
preach — [v1] speak publicly about beliefs address, deliver, deliver sermon, evangelize, exhort, give sermon, homilize, inform, minister, mission, missionary, orate, prophesy, pulpiteer, sermonize, talk, teach; concepts 51,285,367 preach [v2] lecture,… … New thesaurus
preach — ► VERB 1) deliver a religious address to an assembled group of people. 2) earnestly advocate (a principle). 3) (preach at) give moral advice to (someone) in a self righteous way. DERIVATIVES preacher noun. ORIGIN Old French prechier, from Latin… … English terms dictionary