What does entreatment mean?
Entreatment is a now largely archaic English noun meaning an earnest request or plea, or more broadly the act of pleading with someone. It derives from the verb entreat, which entered English via Old French forms of Latin tractare, 'to handle or deal with.' In older literature, entreatment appears where a modern writer would use entreaty: a character might offer humble entreatment to a king, or a petitioner's entreatment might be refused by an unsympathetic authority. The word carries a formal, solemn, and somewhat emotional connotation, suggesting humility and urgency on the part of the person asking. Today it survives chiefly in literary, historical, or deliberately archaic contexts, and readers encountering it will almost always understand it as a synonym of entreaty. For contemporary writing, entreaty remains the standard choice.
nounAn earnest or urgent request or plea; the act of entreating someone. Now chiefly archaic or literary.
- An earnest request or plea; entreaty.
- The act or process of entreating; pleading.
"Despite her repeated entreatment, the king refused to spare the prisoner."
"Her entreatment moved the judge to reconsider his sentence."
"In the old chronicle, the villagers' entreatment for rain is recorded in vivid detail."
Rare; typically used only when referring to multiple distinct pleas.
"Their entreatments went unanswered by the council."
'Entreatment' is what happens when you beg so hard it becomes a noun.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of entreatment
Entreatment comes from the verb entreat, which Middle English borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French forms built on traiter, itself from Latin tractare, meaning 'to handle, manage, or deal with' — a frequentative of trahere, 'to draw or drag.' The suffix -ment turned the verb into a noun denoting the act or result of entreating. Cognates sharing this Latin root include treat, treatise, and words such as extract and traction.
Related word forms
How entreatment is actually used
Archaic and literary in modern English; 'entreaty' is strongly preferred in contemporary usage. Found mainly in older texts and historical fiction.
Easily confused with entreatment
Entreaty is the standard modern word for an earnest plea, while entreatment is a rarer, now largely archaic synonym that also carries the sense of the act of pleading.