Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To make an earnest request of (someone). synonym: beg.
  • intransitive verb To ask for earnestly; petition for.
  • intransitive verb Archaic To deal with; treat.
  • intransitive verb To make an earnest request or petition.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Entreaty; prayer.
  • To treat, use, or manage; deal with; act toward.
  • To partake of; enjoy.
  • To ask earnestly; beseech; petition with urgency; supplicate; solicit pressingly; importune.
  • To prevail on by prayer or solicitation; persuade or cause to yield by entreaty.
  • Synonyms Ask, Request, Beg, etc. See ask. See list under beseech.
  • To treat of something; discourse.
  • To treat with another or others; negotiate.
  • To make an earnest petition or request.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete Entreaty.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To treat or discourse; hence, to enter into negotiations, as for a treaty.
  • intransitive verb To make an earnest petition or request.
  • transitive verb obsolete To treat, or conduct toward; to deal with; to use.
  • transitive verb To treat with, or in respect to, a thing desired; hence, to ask earnestly; to beseech; to petition or pray with urgency; to supplicate; to importune.
  • transitive verb To beseech or supplicate successfully; to prevail upon by prayer or solicitation; to persuade.
  • transitive verb obsolete To invite; to entertain.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Alternative form of entreaty.
  • verb To treat, or conduct toward; to deal with; to use.
  • verb To treat with, or in respect to, a thing desired; hence, to ask earnestly; to beseech; to petition or pray with urgency; to supplicate; to importune.
  • verb To beseech or supplicate successfully; to prevail upon by prayer or solicitation; to persuade.
  • verb To invite; to entertain.
  • verb To treat or discourse; hence, to enter into negotiations, as for a treaty.
  • verb To make an earnest petition or request.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb ask for or request earnestly

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English entreten, from Anglo-Norman entreter : en-, causative pref.; see en– + treter, to treat; see treat.]

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Examples

  • Do not therefore, I again entreat you, my dear friend, be uneasy.

    The Old Manor House 1793

  • ‘Were it not an intrusion, sire, I would fain entreat a moment's audience. '

    Chapter 1 - Part VIII 1822

  • Why did they have to "entreat" him, if he had come all the way from Boston for that purpose?

    Salem Witchcraft and Cotton Mather A Reply Charles Wentworth Upham 1838

  • Pastor Reid is a gifted preacher whose ability to alternately command like a prophet and entreat like a parent plays off the emotion and Christian devotion of his flock with near-perfect pitch.

    American Grace Robert D. Putnam 2010

  • This I most earnestly entreat, and I know you will comply.

    Chapter 5 2010

  • When the Danaides reach Argos, they entreat King Pelasgus to protect them.

    Archive 2009-03-01 Jonathan Aquino 2009

  • Not that it was Daylight's way abjectly to beg and entreat.

    Chapter XX 2010

  • Now, I entreat you to begin your own personal journey into this Historical Occasion.

    How To Find Yourself (or a reasonable facsimile) Vincent Eaton 2012

  • He knew that he would pray, and beg, and entreat, even as Big Ivan and the others that had gone before.

    Lost Face 2010

  • My dear son, I entreat you never to make such an assertion again.

    Chapter 5 2010

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