Delivered a sermon or religious talk, or spoke forcefully to convince someone of something.
From Old French 'precher,' from Latin 'praedicare' (to proclaim publicly). Originally meant specifically to deliver religious sermons, but evolved to mean any earnest or forceful speech, especially when someone is trying to convince others.
The word 'preach' shares a root with 'predicate'—both come from Latin words about proclaiming. When someone 'preaches to the choir,' they're wasting breath because the choir already believes; this phrase perfectly captures how preachers work—they're trying to convince people who might not agree.
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