preach
UK[priːtʃ]US[priːtʃ]
v
To give a religious talk, especially in a church, about how people should behave or what they should believe.
v
To give someone advice, especially in a way that they find annoying or boring, about how they should behave.
Etymology
The verb 'preach' entered English via Old French prechier, which itself evolved from the Latin verb praedicāre, meaning "to proclaim publicly" or "to declare." This Latin term is a compound of prae- ("before, in front of") and dīcāre ("to make known, to say"), but this structure is not preserved in the modern English spelling. The semantic focus shifted from general public proclamation to specifically delivering a religious sermon or moral instruction. Thus, the journey from the literal Latin sense of "saying something before an audience" to the modern abstract meaning of delivering religious or moralistic exhortation is complete, with the form contracting into an unsegmentable whole.
Analysis
The word 'preach' is a simplex form derived from a single Latin root. It does not contain separable, meaningful morphemes in its modern English spelling.
Examples
The minister will preach a sermon on forgiveness this Sunday.
He's always preaching about the benefits of a healthy diet.
Practice what you preach instead of just telling others what to do.