prêcher

Forms

prêcher^[1] Old French pretier (about 980), predier (end of the 10th century), preechier and proichier;^[2][3] Middle French prescher.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French preechier, inherited from Late Latin praedicō (“to teach a doctrine, proclaim the gospel”), a sense found in Church Latin from Tertullian on.^[4][5][2][1] In classical Latin the verb meant “to proclaim, publish, praise”; it is formed from prae- (“before”) and a verb meaning “to proclaim solemnly”, a durative of dīcō (“to say”).^[4][2] The TLFi calls it a francization of the Church Latin verb, while Rey traces it through the forms with /t/ and /d/ of the 10th century.^[4][2]

Cognate with Old Occitan predicar, Spanish predicar, Portuguese pregar and Italian predicare;^[6] Walloon has préchi.^[6] The learned prédication and prédicateur come from the same Latin family.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Jonas fragment of Valenciennes (about 980) uses it for instructing and converting a people: cel populum habuit pretiet.^[4][6]

Semantic evolution

The verb first meant announcing the Christian revelation, with the people preached to as object (about 980), absolutely (end of the 10th century), or with what is preached (about 1120).^[2][4] Very early it also meant making speeches to convince someone (end of the 10th century), and with Jean de Meun (1269–1278) giving advice or remonstrances.^[4][2] An ironic use, “to hold forth sententiously”, is found in 1398.^[4][2] A sense “to proclaim publicly”, taken from classical Latin about 1360, went out of use in the 17th century.^[2]

Set phrases include prêcher d'exemple (before 1714), prêcher dans le désert (1771), after the Gospel's John the Baptist, and prêcher un converti (1798).^[2][4] Prêcher pour son saint is recorded by Boiste in 1823.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 980 – Pretiet in the Jonas fragment of Valenciennes.^[4]
• End of the 10th century – Prediat in the Vie de saint Léger.^[4]
• First half of the 12th century – The Cambridge Psalter uses it transitively of preaching the word of God.^[4]
• 1269–1278 – Jean de Meun uses it for remonstrating with someone.^[4]
• 1398 – First ironic use.^[4]
• Before 1714 – Fénelon uses prêcher d'exemple.^[4]
• 1771 – Voltaire writes prêcher dans le désert.^[4]
• 1823 – Boiste records prêcher pour son saint.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To preach, to teach the word of God: prêcher l'Évangile.^[7][4]
2. To deliver a series of sermons for a season: prêcher le carême.^[7][6]
3. To advocate or recommend something in speech or writing.^[7][1]
4. (intransitive) To give a sermon; to make solemn, tedious speeches, to moralize.^[7]
5. To evangelize someone;^[7] (familiar) to lecture someone: prêcher un converti, to preach to the converted.^[7]
6. Prêcher dans le désert: to speak to no effect.^[7] Prêcher pour sa paroisse, pour son saint: to argue in one's own interest.^[7][1] Prêcher d'exemple: to set an example.^[7][1]

Word family

• prêche

Related words

• prêcheur
• prédicateur
• prédication
• Latin praedicō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 288b
6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert