PREACH

preach, advocate

(verb) speak, plead, or argue in favor of; “The doctor advocated a smoking ban in the entire house”

preach, prophesy

(verb) deliver a sermon; “The minister is not preaching this Sunday”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

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

(intransitive) To give a sermon.

(transitive) To proclaim by public discourse; to utter in a sermon or a formal religious harangue.

(transitive) To advise or recommend earnestly.

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

(intransitive) To give advice in an offensive or obtrusive manner.

Noun

preach (plural preaches)

(obsolete) A religious discourse.

Anagrams

• eparch, pearch

Source: Wiktionary

Preach, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Preached; p. pr. & vb. n. Preaching.] Etym: [OE. prechen, OF. preechier, F. prêcher, fr. L. praedicare to cry in public, to proclaim; prae before + dicare to make known, dicere to say; or perhaps from (assumed) LL. praedictare. See Diction, and cf. Predicate, Predict.]

1. To proclaim or publish tidings; specifically, to proclaim the gospel; to discourse publicly on a religious subject, or from a text of Scripture; to deliver a sermon. How shall they preach, except they be sent Rom. x. 15. From that time Jesus began to preach. Matt. iv. 17.

2. To give serious advice on morals or religion; to discourse in the manner of a preacher.

Preach, v. t.

1. To proclaim by public discourse; to utter in a sermon or a formal religious harangue. That Cristes gospel truly wolde preche. Chaucer. The Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. Isa. lxi. 1.

2. To inculcate in public discourse; to urge with earnestness by public teaching. "I have preached righteousness in the great congregation." Ps. xl. 9.

3. To deliver or pronounce; as, to preach a sermon.

4. To teach or instruct by preaching; to inform by preaching. [R.] "As ye are preached." Southey.

5. To advise or recommend earnestly. My master preaches patience to him. Shak. To preach down, to oppress, or humiliate by preaching. Tennyson.

– To preach up, to exalt by preaching; to preach in support of; as, to preach up equality.

Preach, n. Etym: [Cf. F. prêche, fr. prêcher. See Preach, v.]

Definition: A religious discourse. [Obs.] Hooker.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition