predigen

Predigen is a Dutch verb meaning to deliver a religious sermon or exhortation. It encompasses proclaiming religious messages during worship, teaching doctrinal positions, and publicly urging listeners to adopt certain beliefs or behaviors. In a broader sense, prediken can also refer to moralizing or advocating a viewpoint, sometimes with a sense of exhortation aimed at a community.

Etymology and usage: The word predigen derives from Middle Dutch prediken, itself from Latin praedicare “to proclaim publicly.” It is cognate with German predigen and related to older forms in related languages. Prediken is primarily used in religious contexts, especially within Protestant and Catholic traditions, but it can appear in secular rhetoric when describing public advocacy or moral instruction.

Context and related terms: A person who preaches is a predikant or prediker, and the act of preaching is prediking. The sermon itself is commonly called a preek in Dutch, while prediking refers to the act of preaching. In modern Dutch, prediken remains a correct term in formal or historical writing, but in everyday language preken and predikant are more frequently used. In contemporary media, prediken may also be employed metaphorically to describe someone urging others to adopt a particular stance or behavior, often with a moralizing tone.