preach

Etymology

From Middle English prechen, from Old French precchier (Modern French prêcher), from Latin praedicāre, present active infinitive of praedicō.

Compare Saterland Frisian preetje (“to preach”), West Frisian preekje (“to preach”), Dutch preken (“to preach”), German Low German preken (“to preach”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -iːtʃ

Verb

preach (third-person singular simple present preaches, present participle preaching, simple past and past participle preached or (nonstandard) praught)

1. (intransitive) To give a sermon.
   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 3, in The Mirror and the Lamp:

     One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.”  He at once secured attention by his informal method, and when presently the coughing of Jarvis […] interrupted the sermon, he altogether captivated his audience with a remark about cough lozenges being cheap and easily procurable.

   A learned local Muslim used to preach in the small mosque every Friday.

2. (transitive) To proclaim by public discourse; to utter in a sermon or a formal religious harangue.
   • Bible, Isa. lxi. 1

     The Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek.

3. (transitive) To advise or recommend earnestly.
   • Shakespeare

     My master preaches patience to him.

4. (transitive) To teach or instruct by preaching; to inform by preaching.
   • Southey

     As ye are preached.

Noun

preach (plural preaches)

1. (obsolete) A religious discourse.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Hooker to this entry?)

Anagrams

• eparch, pearch