Verbum Hodiernum: PRAEDICO

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PRAEDICO Dictionary Entry

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Today's word is PRAEDICO, as in the first conjugation verb, praedicare, meaning "to announce, proclaim publicly." In Christian Latin, it takes on the meaning "preach," an English word that ultimately derives from the Latin. This verb was used in classical Latin, but it became even more important in Christian Latin (often spelled predicare), which is how it shows up on this list of most frequently used Latin words.

This Latin verb also gives us the English grammar term "predicate," as well as the word "predicament." The word "predicament" originally meant a logical statement or assertion, and over time it has taken on connotations of an "unpleasant situation" (compare the similar connotations of the logic term "dilemma").

Just to make things a bit more confusing, there is a third conjugation verb: praedico, praedicere, a compound of the verb dico. This verb means "to say in advance, foretell, warn." It is from this Latin verb that we get the English words "predict" and "prediction."

Here are some examples of today's word in Latin sayings and proverbs; for more information, see the page at the Scala Sapientiae, which contains notes on some of the proverbs cited below:

Audi quod dicis, operare quod praedicas.

De se nemo male praedicat.

Amicorum, magis quam tuam ipsius laudem, praedica.

Nummus ubi praedicat, labitur iustitia.

Qui praedicas non furandum, furaris?




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