Word: entreat Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The verb is derived from Late Middle English entreten (“to deal with (someone) in a specified way; to concern oneself with (something); to deal with or give an account of (a topic); to engage in negotiation; to intercede for (someone); to plead with (someone)”), from Anglo-Norman entraiter, entretier (“to concern oneself with (something); to deal with (someone) in a specified manner; to have a conversation with (someone); to negotiate (with someone, or about something)”), Middle French entraiter, entraictier, and Old French entraictier (“to have a conversation with (someone); to concern oneself with (something)”), from en- (prefix meaning ‘in, into’) + traiter (“to be concerned with (something); to treat (someone) in a specified way”) (from Latin tractāre, the present active infinitive of tractō (“to handle, manage; to drag, haul”), from trahō (“to drag, pull; etc.”) (see that entry for the further etymology) + -tō (frequentative suffix)). The noun is derived from Late Middle English entrete (“agreement; negotiation; treatment of a subject in discourse”), from the verb. Pronunciation: /ɪnˈtɹiːt/, /ɛn-/, /ɪnˈtɹit/ 1. Senses relating to asking or pleading. Labels: transitive Example: If you be ſhe, I doe intreat your patience / To heare me ſpeake the meſſage I am ſent on. Example: My Lord vve muſt entreate the time alone. 2. Senses relating to asking or pleading. Labels: transitive Example: Then Pharaoh called for Moſes and Aaron, and ſaid, Intreat the Lord, that hee may take away the frogges from me, and from my people: […] Example: Go vvhen you vvill, (ſaid Agamemnon) fly, / Ile not entreat you for my ſake to ſtay. 3. Senses relating to asking or pleading. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: [S]he could in no wiſe be intreated with her good vyll to delyuer him, […] Example: This ſhould intreat your highneſſe to reioice, / Since Fortune giues you opportunity, / To gaine the tytle of a Conquerour, […] 4. Senses relating to asking or pleading. Labels: intransitive Example: [T]he rayſing of people, and aſſemble of Souldiours by him, could ſignifie no peace, nor treatie of concorde: except a man ſhould ſaye, that intreating for fauour with naked ſworde in hande, were an humble ſubmiſſion and a meeke requeſt: […] Example: Still ſhe intreats, and prettily intreats, / For to a prettie eare ſhe tunes her tale. 5. Senses relating to asking or pleading. Labels: archaic, intransitive Example: Wil ye accepte yͤ perſonne of God, and intreate for him? Example: That if ſhe loue me, I charge her to loue thee: if ſhe vvill not, I vvill neuer haue her, vlneſſe thou intreat for her: […] 6. Senses relating to dealing with or negotiating. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: And here I ſpeake of the generation, wherby they doo engender, and not of that, wherby they are engendred, becauſe it ſhuld be to long to intreate, howe the chyldren of lyght are ingendred, and how they come in at the doore: and howe the children of the world be engendred, and come in an other way. Example: Vncle, you ſay the Queene is at your houſe, / For Gods ſake fairely let her be intreated. 7. Senses relating to dealing with or negotiating. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: [T]hey entreated the ſayd companyons and offred them golde⸝ and ſyluer⸝ and paſſage: […] 8. Senses relating to dealing with or negotiating. Labels: obsolete, reflexive, transitive Example: The Gardin of Proſerpina […] ſhe often vſd from open heat / Her ſelfe to ſhroud, and pleaſures to entreat. 9. Senses relating to dealing with or negotiating. Labels: intransitive, obsolete Example: [O]f all theſe ſeuerally I intend to intreate in the folovving chapters. Example: [T]he moſt admirable myſtery of Nature, in my mind, is the turning of yron touched vvith the loadſtone, tovvard the North-pole, of vvhich I ſhall have farther occaſion to intreate, […] 10. Senses relating to dealing with or negotiating. Labels: intransitive, obsolete Example: [B]ytwene theſe parties entreated for a peace⸝ the archbyſhoppe of Senus⸝ the byſſhoppe of Auſſer⸝ the byſſhoppe of Beaumoys⸝ the lorde of Momorency⸝ the lorde of Fyenes⸝ and the lorde of ſaynt Uenant. Example: [W]hiles yͤ bones of Marcello were a brẽning [brenning, i.e., burning], ſhe was entreting to mary an other huſbãd [husband], […]