preaching

Pluralpreachings

1. 1
   nouncountable or uncountable

   Delivering a sermon, or giving moral instruction of a similar kind.

   Years of preaching had made her voice steady and commanding.

   The reformer's preaching drew large audiences across the countryside.

   Similarministry, evangelism, sermonizing, teaching

   Note

   Unlike the verb form, this noun can be counted. Used uncountably it names a practice or a person's style, as in her preaching. The plural preachings names separate sermons or exhortations: William Steven's The history of the Scottish church (1833) speaks of "the preachings and persuadings" of a Gospel minister, a paired plural that stresses repeated effort. The noun goes back to Middle English prechynge.

2. 2
   verb

   Present participle of preach.

   The bishop is preaching at the cathedral this evening.

   They were preaching in the village square when we arrived.

   Note

   The -ing form carries every use of preach, from the pulpit to the dinner table. It can stand alone (she was preaching) or take an object for what is urged (preaching patience, preaching reform). It also shades into the disapproving sense of obtrusive advice: stop preaching at me. The noun for sermon-giving has the same spelling but takes a plural; the participle never does.

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