An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/predigen

by Friedrich Kluge

predigen, verb, ‘to preach,’ from the equivalent Middle High German prędigen, brędigen, Old High German prędigôn, brędigôn (brêdiôn); corresponding to Old Saxon prędigôn, Dutch prediken. Borrowed in the Old High German period from the ecclesiastical Latin and Romance prœdicâre (French prêcher, whence English preach, Italian predicare), from which Old Irish pridchim, ‘I preach,’ is also derived. —