Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PRAY'ER-FUL, a.

1. Devotional; given to prayer; as, a prayerful frame of mind.
2. Using much prayer.

PRAY'ER-FUL-LY, adv.

With much prayer.

PRAY'ER-FUL-NESS, n.

The use of much prayer.

PRAY'ER-LESS, a.

Not using prayer; habitually neglecting the duty of prayer to God; as, a prayerless family. The next time you go prayerless to bed. – Baxter.

PRAY'ER-LESS-LY, adv.

In a prayerless manner.

PRAY'ER-LESS-NESS, n.

Total or habitual neglect of prayer. – T. H. Skinner.

PRAY'ING, ppr.

Asking; supplicating.

PRAY'ING-LY, adv.

With supplication to God.

PRE, a. [PRE-; an English prefix, is the L. præ, before, probably a contracted word; Russ. pred. It expresses priority of time or rank. It may be radically the same as the Italian proda, the prow of a ship; prode, profit, also valiant, whence prowess, from some root signifying to advance. It sometimes signifies beyond, and may be rendered very, as in prepotent.]

PRE-AC-CU-SA'TION, n.

Previous accusation. – Lee.

PREACH, n.

A religious discourse. [Not used.] – Hooker.

PREACH, v.i. [D. preeken; Fr. prêcher, for prescher; Arm. pregnein or prezecq; W. preg, a greeting; pregeth, a sermon; pregethu, to preach, derived from the noun, and the noun from rheg, a sending out, utterance, a gift, a curse, imprecation; rhegu, to send out, to give or consign, to curse; Heb. Ch. and Ar. ברך baraka, L. præco, a crier, Sax. fricca or fryccea, a crier. This is from the same root as pray, L. precor, and with s prefixed, gives the G. sprechen, D. spreeken. Sw. språka, to speak; Dan. sprog, speech. Class Brg, No. 2, 3, 4, 5.]

1. To pronounce a public discourse on a religious subject, or from a text of Scripture. The word is usually applied to such discourses as are formed from a text of Scripture. This is the modern sense of preach.
2. To discourse on the Gospel way of salvation and exhort to repentance; to discourse on evangelical truths and exhort to a belief of them and acceptance of the terms of salvation. This was the extemporaneous manner of preaching pursued by Christ and his apostles. – Matth. iv. x. Acts. x. xiv.

PREACH, v.t.

1. To proclaim; to publish in religious discourses. What ye hear in the ear, that preach ye on the house-tops. – Matth. x. The Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek. – Is. lxi.
2. To inculcate in public discourses. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation. – Ps. xl. He oft to them preach'd / Conversion and repentance. – Milton.
3. To deliver or pronounce; as, to preach a sermon. To preach Christ or Christ crucified, to announce Christ as the only Savior, and his atonement as the only ground of acceptance with God. – 1 Cor. i. To preach up, to discourse in favor of. Can they preach up equality of birth? – Dryden.

PREACH'ED, pp.

Proclaimed; announced in public discourse; inculcated.

PREACH'ER, n.

1. One who discourses publicly on religious subjects. – Bacon.
2. One that inculcates any thing with earnestness. No preacher is listened to but time. – Swift.

PREACH'ER-SHIP, n.

The office of a preacher. [No used.] – Hall.

PREACH'ING, n.

The act of preaching; a public religious discourse. – Milner.

PREACH'ING, ppr.

Proclaiming; publishing in discourse; inculcating.

PREACH'-MAN, n.

A preacher, in contempt. – Howell.

PREACH'MENT, n.

A discourse or sermon, in contempt; a discourse affectedly solemn. – Shak.

PRE-AC-QUAINT'ANCE, n.

Previous acquaintance or knowledge. – Harris.

PRE-AC-QUAINT'ED, a.

Previously acquainted. – Sheridan.

PRE-AD-AM'IC, a.

Prior to Adam. – J. Taylor.

PRE-AD'AM-ITE, n. [pre, before, and Adam.]

An inhabitant of the earth that lived before Adam. – Pereyra.

PRE-AD-AM-IT'IC, a.

Designating what existed before Adam; as, fictitious preadamitic periods. – Kirwan.