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First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Preching, Preiching, Preaching, vbl. n. Also: precch-, pretch-; preit(s)ch-; prich-, pritch-; preauch-, preatch- and -inge, -eing, -yng, -eng, -in(e, -yn, -ein. [ME and e.m.E. preching (c 1275), e.m.E. preaching.]

1. The action of preaching (in intr. sense of the verb). Also transf.Without article, with possess. or const. of the preacher.(1) a1400 Leg. S. ii 68.
In fre presone … He liffit, in prechinge ilka day Agane the Iowis Ib. x 119.
He sik grace had in prechinge, That [etc.] Ib. xxvii 1353. c1420 Wynt. v 4795. 1456 Hay I 31/17.
For na mede … or wrang preching [etc.] Ib. 70/25 (see Prech(e v. 2 (3)). a1500 Henr. Fab. 1390 (Ch.).
Quhen haly preiching may na thing auaill c1490 Irland Asl. MS. 4/15.
Ellis all preching of the peple war evill Ib. 12/28. 1531 Bell. Boece II 67. a1538 Abell 1 b.
In this roit … religious men may fynd mater of prechin and be mair reddy [etc.] 1556 Lauder Off. Kings 278.
Ȝour pastoris that suld precheing vse 1558 Dumfr. & Galloway Soc. 3 Ser. XIV 110.
To mak sic preaching 1558–9 Misc. Spald. C. IV 57.
For preching to be maid within the hail diocie a1570-86 Arbuthnot Maitl. F. xxx 82.
Trew preiching 1563 St. A. Kirk S. 186.
The superintendent dischergis … Mr. Alexander Jarden fra his ministerie of preching and funccion of all office in the kyrk 1573 Davidson Sat. P. xlii 154.
Suld their pepill preiching haue nane? 1584 Sempill Sat. P. xlv 103.
Neather with preiching nor with reiding 1584 Dysart Rec. 40.
Pretching praers using of the sacramentis 1600-1610 Melvill 45.
To restrean the fridome of application in preatching 1632 Glasgow B. Rec. II 14.
Preatching(2) a1400 Leg. S. iv 45.
His prechinge Wes bot falset and fenȝet thinge Ib. vii 333. c1420 Wynt. v 4046. 1456 Hay I 17/32.
And convertit throu grace, and preching of him, a King of Ingland Ib. 14/5; II 63/21. c1460 Thewis Wysmen 346.
Na ga to preching of a frere 1490 Irland Mir. II 10/1.
Jhesus and Sanct Johne the baptist the gret prechouris begane baith thar preichingis with this terme [etc.] Ib. 109/1.
Preichin 1533 Gau 27/10, etc. c1552 Lynd. Mon. 4445.
And tuke no more paine in thare precheing 1554–5 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 292.
To the Blackfreirs and to the Grayfreirs for thair precheing yeirlie c1568 Lauder Minor P. i 429.
Preaching 1596–7 Warrender P. (S.H.S.) II 303.
Be thair seditious preicheingtransf. a1500 Henr. Fab. 2851 (Bann.).
Lat be preching [v.rr. thy preiching], q[uod] the hungry mous c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 249.
God … send … that my preching may pers your perverst hertis Ib. xlvi 33.
‘Seis’, quod the merle, ‘thy preching, nychtingale’

b. Const. of what is preached.Without, and with, the def. art.(1) 1456 Hay I 130/18.
And ferm credence till his preching and teching of the faith 1551 Hamilton Cat. 200.
The apostillis … quhen thai war dung for preching of the evangil 1558–9 Misc. Spald. C. IV 58.
Becaus of inlaik of precheing of the trew catholik fayth a1578 Pitsc. II 52/33. 1642 Glasgow Burgesses 110.
His pains in preitching of God's word within this burghe(2) 1558-66 Knox I 150.
More semyng for the war, then for the preaching of the trew word of God 1567 Acts III 23/2.
Preicheing 1573 Anal. Scot. I 281.
[The] minister of the said burgh, quhome God moitt contenue in the trewe prechin of his word a1578 Pitsc. I 309/17.
Priching Ib. II 75/3.
Preachin

2. A particular act of preaching, the delivery of a sermon, also of a moral discourse. 1456 Hay II 41/30.
And … he suld pas to the kirk … thair to be in prayeris and to here a preching or [etc.] Ib. 42/22.
And quhen the preching is done a1500 Henr. Fab. 1950 (Bann.).
And thus endis the preching of the suallow 1490 Irland Mir. I 159/29.
He was greyne and faire in His preichin, quhen He promyttit to ws glore and joy eternal c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 71.
At playis and preichingis and pilgrimages greit 1540 Lynd. Sat. 4455.
Quhy, Foly, wald thow mak ane preiching? 1554 Knox III 185.
Plane preacheingis wer maid aganis all that he had spokin befoir 1570 Sempill Sat. P. xii 90.
Ȝe hard ȝour self quhat Knox spak at the preiching 1596 Dalr. I 233/35. Ib. II 397/3, etc. 1600-1610 Melvill 261.
Persing war the pretchings 1603 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 25.
[To] sitt in the loft … and thair tak thair nottis of the preichingis 1663–9 J. Livingstone Sel. Biog. I 134.
Dureing that time I wrote all the preachings before I preached them word by word c 1690 Coltness Coll. 11.
[He was a great frequenter of] knowsyde preachings [so he called field conventicles]

b. The spiritual or moral message conveyed by a preaching. a1500 Henr. Fab. 1103 (Bann.).
As daylie dois thir doctouris of dyvyne … And preue thare preching be a poesye

3. a. That part of a service (of the Scottish Reformed Church) given over to the sermon. b. A service (of the Scottish Reformed Church) which contained a sermon.See Lecture n. 2 and Prayer n. for further examples.(1) 1562 St. A. Kirk S. 147.
Duryng the tym of prayeris and prechyn 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 111.
Marie … Quene of Scottis wes marijt on James Duke of Orknay … not with the mess bot with preitching 1580 Douglas Bequest May.
Preicheing 1585–6 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 449.
Preacheing 1591 Perth Kirk S. in Mill Mediæv. Plays 281.
On Sonday … eftir preitsching 1612 Fraserburgh Kirk S. 5 b (9 Sept.).
Dilait for brekaris of Sabboth by … mishaunting the hour of preacheing 1613 Elgin Rec. II 135.
Preitching 1613 Soc. Ant. IV 79.
Having been at pretching with the Regent Murray, was demanded how he liked of the sermon? 1622 Brechin Kirk S. 27 March.
No session nor preiching lippining to the synod whilk was henderit be the stormie wedder 1622 Cardross Ch. 94.
And thereafter in the public plaice of repentance in tyme of precchine 1626 Elgin Rec. II 193.
That Wm. Gadderer, kirk officer, attend on preiching and prayeris, baptisme and mariage 1628 Ib. 204.
Gude Fryday … to be a day of preiching 1646 Alyth Par. Ch. 77.
Pretching Ib.
Preatching 1649 Peebles B. Rec. I 387.
And tak ane compt of their noittes of preaching 1666 S. Ronaldshay 60.
The minister went towards Burrah, whair he intended to preatching 1674 Craven Ch. in Orkney 60.
Preatching(2) 1559 St. A. Kirk S. 2.
And upone the daye of eleccion efter the prechyng at the minister hes used al detfu[ll] circumstancis requirit of his part 1565 Instit. Ct. Sess. 6 a.
To be sumond in the kirk of the samyn [benefice] vpone ane halyday in tyme of the preiching 1570 Bann. Memor. 7.
Johne Knox … luikit vp to the heaven, as he had bene begynand ane prayer befoir the preiching 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 81.
Preitching Ib. 337. 1583 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 313.
The loft in the eist end of the Hie Kirk for the place to the students … to heir the preicheins into 1584 Sempill Sat. P. xlv 1058. 1587 Elgin Rec. II 8.
Till the end of the preiching 1590 Conv. Burghs I 335.
Preiching 1593–4 S. Leith Rec. 1/2. 1602 Colville Paraenese 72.
Vpon veek dayis aponted by tham to thair preching 1604 Elgin Rec. II 122.
On the Tuisdayis preaching 1604 Inverness Rec. II 28.
Thai … [to] cum to the kirk on Sounday to the preichinge and heiringe of Goddis vord 1609 S. Leith Rec. 7/2.
Preiching 1618 Denmylne MSS. in Highland P. III 307.
Preatcheing 1618 Ritchie Ch. S. Baldred 175.
November 8 … The efternoone preiching left off till the spring 1620 Perth Kirk S. MS 27 Nov.
That the parentis of childrein suld present theme to baptism the nixt preching efter thair birth 1622 Fraserburgh Kirk S. 132 b (22 May).
The preaching is ordained to begin on Wedinsday at nyne houris in the morning 1622 Elgin Rec. II 171.
That he was playing at the penny stone efter the preitchingis 1633 Glasgow Trades House 161.
Pritching 1638 Rec. Kirk Scotl. 162.
Preatching 1646 Sc. N. & Q. 1 Ser. XII 61.
No pretching because Montrose vas so neir us 1651 Boharm Kirk S. 21 Sept.
By striking Georg Flemane betwix the preachinges(3) 1647 Moray Synod 85.
That there were more masses in his paroche than preachings

4. Attrib. and comb. a. In sense 1. b. In sense 3.a. 1556 Lauder Off. Kings 237.
In pulpet or in preching place 1596 Dalr. II 422/11.
Tha appne vp the true truth of the true religioune in the preicheng stul publiklie 1622-6 Bisset II 422/14.
And now maid ane Dominican blak or preiching freir 1663 Craven Ch. in Orkney 15.
[A] preaching reader 1673 Alford Rec. 200.
Ane list … of evry licenced preaching young man c1650-1700 Descr. Zetland 24.
It hath but one minister, tho' two preaching kirks 1697 Dysart Rec. 56.
A preaching bookb. (1) 1564–5 Edinb. B. Rec. III 194.
Vpoun Soundayis and vther preiching dayis 1568 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 14.
That na barnes be baptisit bot vpone the vsuall preching days, and that befoir preching foirow none 1574 Ib. 18. 1579 St. A. Kirk S. 441.
Everie preatching day within the owk 1590 Conv. Burghs I 311.
On the preiching dey 1593 Bk. Univ. Kirk III 796.
Preauching 1614 S. Leith Rec. 11/2. 1635 Dickson Wr. 186. 1644 Lanark Presb. 35.
Setterday nixt (being his preaching day, befor the celebratione of the Lords Supper) 1662 S. Ronaldshay 40.
This to be publisched first preatching Lords day at the north kirk(2) 1603 Elgin Rec. II 114.
Doing syndrie in hir awin hous the preching tym 1621 Perth Kirk S. MS 16 July.
To caus mend the fault of the toung of the preching bell