treat

pronunciation

How to pronounce treat in British English: UK [triːt] word uk audio image

How to pronounce treat in American English: US [triːt] word us audio image

Noun:

something considered choice to eat
an occurrence that cause special pleasure or delight
Verb:

interact in a certain way
subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition
provide treatment for
deal with verbally or in some form of artistic expression
provide with a gift or entertainment
provide with choice or abundant food or drink
engage in negotiations in order to reach an agreement
regard or consider in a specific way

Word Origin

treat: treat: [13] Treat comes ultimately from Latin tractāre, a derivative of tractus (source of English contract, tractor, etc), the past participle of trahere ‘pull’. Originally tractāre meant ‘drag’, but it branched out metaphorically to ‘handle, deal with, discuss’, and it was in these senses that it reached English via Anglo-Norman treter. The notion of ‘dealing with something by discussion’ also underlies treatise [14] and treaty [14], which come from the same ultimate source.=> contract, tractor, treatise, treaty

treat (v.): c. 1300, "negotiate, bargain, deal with," from Old French traitier "deal with, act toward; set forth (in speech or writing)" (12c.), from Latin tractare "manage, handle, deal with, conduct oneself toward," originally "drag about, tug, haul, pull violently," frequentative of trahere (past participle tractus) "to pull, draw" (see tract (n.1)). Meaning "to entertain with food and drink without expense to the recipient by way of compliment or kindness (or bribery)" is recorded from c. 1500. Sense of "deal with, handle, or develop in speech or writing" (early 14c.) led to the use in medicine "to attempt to heal or cure, to manage in the application of remedies" (1781). Related: Treated; treating.

treat (n.): late 14c., "action of discussing terms," from treat (v.). Sense of "a treating with food and drink, an entertainment given as a compliment or expression of regard" (1650s) was extended by 1770 to "anything that affords much pleasure."

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