preacher
nounUK /ˈpɹiːt͡ʃəː/ · CA, US /ˈpɹit͡ʃɚ/
Etymology From Middle English precher, prechere; partly equivalent to preach + -er, and partly continuing Middle English prechour, prechiour, from Old French preecheor (French prêcheur), from Latin praedicator (“public praiser, proclaimer”). See preach. Displaced native Old English bydel.
1
Someone who preaches a worldview, philosophy, or religion, especially someone who preaches the gospel and especially a clergyman or clergywoman. In a religious context, usually used only to refer to Protestant Christian clergy.
- The born preacher we feel instinctively to be our foe. He may do some good to the wretches that have been struck down and lie gasping on the battlefield: he rouses antagonism in the strong.1859, George Meredith, chapter 10, in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel. A History of Father and Son. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC:
- Derived terms
- lay preacher, local preacher, preacher bench, preacher bird, preacher curl, preacherdom, preacherese, preacheress, preacherish, preacherize, preacherless, preacherlike, preacherly, preachership
- Hyponyms
- evangelist, proselytizer