Emily Dickinson Lexicon

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.