entreat

▪ I. † enˈtreat, n. Obs.
    Also 5 entrete, 6 entreate, 6–7 intreat(e.
    [f. next vb.; OF. had entraite, f. entraitier vb.]
    The action of the vb. entreat. † a. Negotiation, intervention (obs.). b. Entreaty, supplication.

1485 Malory Arthur i. ii, By the entrete at the last the kyng & she met to gyder. 1568 T. Howell Arb. Amitie (1879) 68 By great entreate and humble sute. a 1592 Greene Poems 99 Use no entreats, I will relentless rest. 1621 Lady M. Wroth Urania 14, I..with all the intreates that I could frame, perswaded him to entertaine that seruant of mine. 1639 G. Daniel Ecclus. xlv. 4 At his entreat The wonders ceas'd. 1650 Don Bellianis 142 Which..you will not do at my intreats.

▪ II. entreat, v.
    (ɛnˈtriːt)
    Forms: α. 4–6 entrete, 5–6 -ede, 6–7 -eate, (6 -ait(e), 4– entreat; β. 6–7 intreate, 6 intrait, -ete, (-eit), 6–9 intreat.
    [ad. OF. entraiter, entraitier, f. en- (see en-¹) + traiter to treat. In the archaistic use 1 the spelling intreat still sometimes occurs.]
    † I. To treat; to handle. Obs. or arch.
    1. trans. To treat, deal with, act towards (a person, etc.) in a (specified) manner. Obs. exc. arch.

α c 1430 Hymns Virg. 22 So betyn, so woundyd, Entretyd so fuly. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxlviii. 317 The other Capytayns were..entreated as men of warre ben acustomed. 1551 Wotton in Froude Hist. Eng. (1881) V. 6 My aunt, her mother, was evil entreated by the king that dead is. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iii. (1586) 139 The olde Ewes..be easlyer to be entreated. 1639 Fuller Holy War iii. xxxi. (1840) 173 The pope ill entreated and imprisoned his [Frederick's] messengers. c 1720 Prior Poems (J.), Well I entreated her, who well deserv'd. 1864 Burton Scot Abr. II. i. 62 Their authors..spitefully entreated as monomaniacs.

β 1509 Fisher Fun. Serm. C'tess Richmond Wks. 296 To..intrete euery persone..accordynge to theyr degre and hauour. 1604 E. Grimstone Hist. Siege Ostend 153 Intreating whole troopes of Prince Maurices as friendes. 1622 R. Hawkins Voy. S. Sea 271 Shee [the ship] fell over upon that side suddenly, intreating many of them which were in her, very badly. 1657 S. Purchas Pol. Flying-Ins. 147 How hee might best order, and intreat them [Bees] according to their kind. 1718 Col. Rec. Penn. III. 52 They ought to be well used and Civilly Intreated. 1800 Addison Amer. Law Rep. 277 To wound, beat, and evilly intreat. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 135 They evil intreated one another.

    † 2. To take (a thing) in hand; esp. to treat, handle (a subject or question). Obs.

α 1509 Fisher Fun. Serm. C'tess Richmond Wks. 290 As say the doctours entreatynge this gospell, & her lyfe. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 1 The seconde boke..entreateth what is the iourney of religion. 1545 T. Raynalde Byrth Mankynde (1564) 98 In this third booke shalbe entreated what is to be done to the Infant borne. 1581 Marbeck Bk. of Notes 555 That yeares actes..were sufficientlye entreated of all three. 1681 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. (1693) 540 To entreat or handle, tractare.

β 1536 Latimer 2nd Serm. Convoc. i. 43 It should be too long to intreat, how the children of light are ingendered. 1538 Starkey England i. iii. 86 Yf they juge be hys frend whose cause ys intretyd. 1563 Homilies ii. Repairing Churches (1859) 276 That house of God..wherein be intreated the Sacraments and mysteries of our redemption. 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. 184 Musick cannot be intreated or taught without the knowledge of all other sciences.

    † b. To occupy oneself in. Obs.

1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. vii. 53 A thick Arber..In which she often usd from open heat Her selfe to shroud, and pleasures to entreat.

    † c. To beguile, pass (time). Obs.

1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. iv. i. 40 My Lord you must intreat the time alone.

    † 3. intr. Of a speaker or writer, a book, etc.: To treat of or upon a subject. Obs.

1513 More Rich. III, Wks. 37/1 Richarde the third sonne, of whom we nowe entreate. 1534 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) B iiij b, Marc Aurele the emperour, of whome this present boke entreateth. c 1540 Life Fisher Wks. ii. Introd. 58 This excellent man of whom we intreate, John Fysher, Bishopp of Rochester. 1594 Plat Jewell-ho. i. Divers New Exper. 4 Wherevpon Valetius entreateth in this maner. 1610 Markham Masterp. ii. lxxxiii. 364 Of which wee shall speake..when wee intreate of paring and shooing. 1611 Coryat's Crudities, Panegyr. Verses, Of steeples, townes and towers entreats his goose's quill. 1632 Sanderson 12 Serm. 4 To intreate at this time of Saint Paul's advice. 1681 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. (1693) 540 Atticus in one book did entreat of..the Records of things done in 700 years.

    b. in indirect passive.

1561 T. Norton Calvin's Inst. vi. (1634) 19 This matter indeed is worthy..to bee largely entreated of. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie i. xv. (Arb.) 50 Except Eglogue whereof shalbe entreated hereafter. 1638 Chillingw. Relig. Prot. i. iii. §74. 175 The subject here entreated of.

    c. simply (with ellipsis of prep. and obj.).

c 1386 Chaucer Pard. T. 302 A word or tuo, as other bookes entrete. c 1534 tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (1846) I. 5 As towchinge the situation thereof hereafter..I meane to entreate in places convenient. 1571 Digges Pantom. iii. x. R iij, Although it would seeme I had entreated sufficiently.

    † 4. intr. To enter into negotiations; to treat with a person; of (occasionally about, for) a thing; also simply. Obs.

c 1340 Cursor M. 24795 (Fairf.) To entrete of þe pais betwix him & þa danais. 14.. Epiph. in Tundale's Vis. (1843) 106 Herode..of thys mater entredes pryvylly. 1482 J. Warkworth Chron. 27 That will speke and entrete with ther enemyes. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. clxxxv. 219 Bytwene these parties entreated for a peace, the archbysshoppe of Senns..the lorde of Saynt Venant. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 44 b, In the assemblie at Norinberge..the Princes entreated of peace. 1598 R. Grenewey Tacitus' Ann. i. vi. (1622) 10 Being sent vnto you from the Germane campe, to entreat of the common profit and good.

β 1534 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) Dd iiij, She was intreatynge to mary an nother husbande. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 664 And this mariage agreed upon (which semeth more likely to be intreated of then concluded). 1586 T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. i. (1594) 395 Attilius Regulus..being.. sent to Rome upon his faith to intreat about a peace. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iv. iv. 9 Ile send some holy Bishop to intreat. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 119 To intreat with him of peace.

    † 5. trans. To parley with (a person). Obs.

1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxxix. 307 So they entreated the sayd Companyons, and offred them golde.

    II. With additional sense of asking, asking of somebody or for something.
    † 6. intr. To intercede, plead for (a person). Obs.

α c 1430 Compl. Criste 127 in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems 169 Lete merci for us entrete. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 84 He wyll make other persones to..perswade & entreate for hym. 1605 Shakes. Lear iii. iii. 4 They..charg'd me..neither to speake of him, entreat for him, or any way sustaine him. 1611 Bible Ex. viii. 9 When shall I entreat for thee?

β 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. iv. iii. 73, I will neuer haue her, vnlesse thou intreat for her.

    † 7. intr. To sue, plead for (a concession or favour). Obs.

1573 Twyne æneid xi. (R.), Then lets intreat for peace. 1818 Jas. Mill Brit. India II. v. viii. 645 The prisoners entreated for their release.

    8. trans. To ask earnestly for (a thing); chiefly with clause as obj. Occas. const. of (a person).

α 1610 Shakes. Temp. v. i. 118, I..doe entreat Thou pardon me my wrongs. 1771 Goldsm. Hist. Eng. IV. 200 He entreated that they would elect such, in particular, as had, etc. 1780 Burke Execution Rioters Wks. IX. 266 For God's sake entreat of Lord North to take a view of the sum total. 1797 Mrs. Radcliffe Italian x, I entreat you will speak explicitly. 1878 Joaquin Miller Songs Italy 94 To entreat of the gods what they will not give.

β a 1600 Creation in Evergreen (1761) I. 166 The serpent..persuadit me..Intreiting, be eiting, That we suld be perfyte. 1602 Marston Ant. & Mel. ii. Wks. 1856 I. 28 Our tyred limbes..intreat soft rest. 1611 Bible Ps. xlv. 12 The rich among the people shall intreate thy fauour. 1653 Walton Angler Ep. Ded., To intreat that they [former favours] may be enlarged to the patronage..of this Book. 1712 Hearne Collect. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.) III. 496, I intreat therefore y{supt} you would insert it in y⊇ Post-Boy.

    9. To make an earnest prayer or request to; to beseech, implore. Chiefly with subord. clause or const. to with inf. Formerly also const. of, or with n. as second obj.

α 1502 Arnolde Chron. (1811) 134 Wherfore he entredyd the sayde brydge-maysters of respyte in the mater. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxii. (1845) 158 Dame Correccion..Did me entreat a while to abyde. 1534 Whittinton Tullyes Offices iii. (1540) 132 To entreat the iudge..what thynges he may do sauying his conscience. 1584 D. Powel Lloyd's Cambria 94 They promised to Intreate the King for him. 1611 Bible Gen. xxv. 21 Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. 1735 Berkeley Free-thinking in Math. §48 Wks. 1871 III. 330, I entreat my reader to think. 1840 Dickens Barn. Rudge vi, Ask me no questions, I entreat you. 1859 Tennyson Geraint & Enid 760 Entreat her by my love..That she ride with me in her faded silk. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 384 Let me entreat you once more to take my advice and escape.

β 1611 Bible Ex. viii. 8 Intreat the Lord, that hee may take away the frogges from me. 1676 Hobbes Iliad i. (1686) 170 I'le not intreat you for my sake to stay. 1751 Johnson Rambler No. 153 ¶19 All whom I intreat to sing are troubled with colds. 1792 Munchhausen's Trav. xxiii. 97 Intreating me to assist in the war against Russia.

    † 10. To prevail on by supplication or solicitation; to persuade by pleading. Also, of circumstances, considerations, etc.: To induce. Obs.

α 1551 Bible 2 Chron. xxxiii. 13 And he was entreated of hym & herd his praier. 1563 Homilies ii. Idolatry iii. (1859) 264 A dog that would be entreated and hired with part of the prey to suffer the wolves to werry the sheep. 1586 Marlowe 1st Pt. Tamburl. i. i, This should entreat your highness to rejoice. 1593 Prodigal Son i. 91 Ah my beloved son, be entreated, and go not hence.

β 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 768 Howbeit she could in no wise be intreated with her good wyll to delyver him. 1576 Fleming Panoplie Ep. 241 For he is a man full of affabilitie..and easie to be intreated. 1638 Penit. Conf. i. (1657) 4 God was intreated and Moses prevailed.

Oxford English Dictionary