Prelects

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Gives a formal speech or lecture to an audience
2. Presents information or discourse in a structured and didactic manner
3. Acts as a speaker who explains or teaches a subject to listeners

Etymology: "Prelects" is the third-person singular form of "prelect," which means to give a formal lecture. The verb comes from Latin "praelegere," a compound of "prae," meaning "before" or "in front of," and "legere," meaning "to read" or "to choose." Its past participle, "praelectus," passed into English as the basis of the verb, so the word carries the sense of reading aloud to an audience from a position at the front. The Latin root "legere" is the same one behind "lecture," "lesson," and "legend" in its older sense of things to be read. "Prelect" keeps the original picture of someone standing before others to read, which is why the word has always suggested a speaker addressing a gathering rather than a casual talk.

Synonyms: lectures, teaches, instructs