Preacher
(Preach"er) n. [Cf. OF. preeschierre, prescheur, F. prêcheur, L. praedicator.]
1. One who preaches; one who discourses publicly on religious subjects.
How shall they hear without a preacher?
Rom. x. 14. 2. One who inculcates anything with earnestness.
No preacher is listened to but Time.
Swift. Preacher bird (Zoöl.),
a toucan.
Preachership
(Preach"er*ship), n. The office of a preacher. "The preachership of the Rolls." Macaulay.
Preachify
(Preach"i*fy) v. i. [Preach + -fy.] To discourse in the manner of a preacher. [Colloq.] Thackeray.
Preaching
(Preach"ing), n. The act of delivering a religious discourse; the art of sermonizing; also, a
sermon; a public religious discourse; serious, earnest advice. Milner.
Preaching cross,
a cross, sometimes surmounting a pulpit, erected out of doors to designate a preaching
place. — Preaching friars. See Dominican.
Preachman
(Preach"man) n.; pl. Preachmen A preacher; — so called in contempt. [Obs.] Howell.
Preachment
(Preach"ment) n. A religious harangue; a sermon; — used derogatively. Shak.
Preacquaint
(Pre`ac*quaint") v. t. To acquaint previously or beforehand. Fielding.
Preacquaintance
(Pre`ac*quaint"ance) n. Previous acquaintance or knowledge. Harris.
Preact
(Pre*act") v. t. To act beforehand; to perform previously.
Preaction
(Pre*ac"tion) n. Previous action.
Preadamic
(Pre`a*dam"ic) a. Prior to Adam.
Preadamite
(Pre*ad"am*ite) n. [Cf. F. préadamite.]
1. An inhabitant of the earth before Adam.
2. One who holds that men existed before Adam.
Preadamitic
(Pre*ad`am*it"ic) a. Existing or occurring before Adam; preadamic; as, preadamitic periods.
Preadjustment
(Pre`ad*just"ment) n. Previous adjustment.
Preadministration
(Pre`ad*min`is*tra"tion) n. Previous administration. Bp. Pearson.
Preadmonish
(Pre`ad*mon"ish), v. t. To admonish previously.
Preadmonition
(Pre*ad`mo*ni"tion) n. Previous warning or admonition; forewarning.
Preadvertise
(Pre*ad`ver*tise") v. t. To advertise beforehand; to preannounce publicly.
Preamble
(Pre"am`ble) n. [LL. praeambulum, from L. praeambulus walking before, fr. praeambulare
to walk before; prae before + ambulare to walk: cf. F. préambule. See Amble.] A introductory portion; an
introduction or preface, as to a book, document, etc.; specifically, the introductory part of a statute, which
states the reasons and intent of the law.