# treat

Pronunciation: US say "TREET" /tɹiːt/; UK

## Verb

1. To behave toward or deal with a person or thing in a particular way.
   - Simple: To act toward a person or thing in a certain way.
   - _Good managers treat every employee fairly._
   - _The referee treated both teams with equal strictness._
2. To give medical or surgical care to a sick or injured person or animal, or to deal with an illness or injury by such care.
   - Simple: To give medical care to a sick or hurt person or animal, or try to make an illness or injury better.
   - _Specialists treat this condition with a combination of drugs and therapy._
   - _The clinic treated more flu cases than usual this winter._
4. To give someone something enjoyable, such as a meal, drink, or outing, often by paying for it.
   - Simple: To buy or give someone something nice, like a meal or a trip, often paying for it yourself.
   - _She offered to treat the whole team after they won the match._
   - _He treated his parents to a weekend at the coast._
5. To subject something to a chemical or physical process in order to produce a specific result.
   - Simple: To use a chemical, or a process like heating, to change something in a useful way.
   - _Factories treat the fabric with a coating that repels stains._
   - _The plant treated the wastewater before releasing it into the river._
8. To deal with a subject in speech or writing, discussing or presenting it in a particular way.
   - Simple: To write or talk about a subject in a certain way.
   - _Few textbooks treat the subject in any depth, so most students only learn it on the job._
   - _The documentary treated the scandal with surprising sympathy._
9. To negotiate or discuss terms in order to reach an agreement.
   - Simple: To talk with someone to reach a deal or agreement.
   - _The envoys were sent to treat with the neighboring kingdom._
   - _Rather than treat with an enemy it did not trust, the council chose to keep fighting._

## Noun

3. A small item of food eaten for enjoyment rather than as a meal, or given to a pet as a reward.
   - Simple: A small tasty thing to eat, like a sweet, or a snack given to a pet as a reward.
   - _The bakery sells all kinds of treats near the front counter._
   - _He saved the chocolate treat for after dinner._
6. An event, experience, or gift that is out of the ordinary and brings great pleasure.
   - Simple: Something special that gives you a lot of joy.
   - _Finding the old letters in the attic was an unexpected treat._
   - _The sudden snow day felt like a treat to the whole class._
7. Something pleasant, such as a meal, a drink, or an outing, that one person pays for or provides for others, as in "This one's my treat."
   - Simple: Something fun or tasty that someone gives or pays for so others can enjoy it.
   - _He took the children to the circus as a birthday treat._
   - _The boss arranged a few treats for the staff after the busy season._

## Verb

10. To plead with or earnestly beg someone for something. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To beg or strongly ask someone for something.

## Noun

11. A discussion of terms between parties; a negotiation or parley. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A meeting where people talk to settle an agreement.
12. An earnest request or plea; an entreaty. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A serious request or plea for something.

## Other meanings

- (verb) To corruptly influence voters by providing food, drink, entertainment, or other provision in exchange for their support.

## Origin

The root is Latin 'trahere' ('to draw', 'to pull'), whose past participle stem gave 'tractāre' ('to pull', 'to manage'). This passed into Old French as 'traiter' and Anglo-Norman as 'treter', and English had it in Middle English as 'treten'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/treat (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).