prea

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese, from Latin praeda (“booty, prey”), from earlier praeheda, from prae + Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- (“to hold”). Cognate with Portuguese preia, English prey.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɾea̝/

Noun

prea f (plural preas)

1. body of a dead animal
2. prey, game
3. booty
   • 1295, Ramón Lorenzo, editor, La traducción gallega de la Crónica General y de la Crónica de Castilla, Ourense: I.E.O.P.F., page 232:

     Et correullj a terra et astragoulla, et leuou ende muy grandes preas, et o al que ficaua queymoullo todo.

     He raided his land and wasted it, taking away many spoils, and what was left behind he put it in fire

   • 1775, María Francisca Isla y Losada, Romance:

     Anque à prea non hègrande
     si ca si, ò sacristan
     disque à pestàna do figado
     se lle hiba alegrando já.
     Ô cont'hè, si enturra n'eso
     Deus me libre das suas más,
     que'anque eu non queira, na Coba
     de chantarme heche capàz.

     Although the booty is not large,
     anyhow, the sacristan's
     liver's eyes, reportedly,
     were shinning bright.
     The issue is, if he persists,
     God save me from his hands,
     that even if I don't want, in the grave
     he is capable of thrusting me

4. (regional) delicious food
5. (figurative) mean, stupid, or untidy person

   Déixao de molestar, non sexas prea!

   Stop harassing him, don't be mean!

6. (figurative) drunkness

   Ten unha prea que non se lambe ― He's so drunk he can barely speak

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “prea”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “prea”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “prea”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “prea”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Etymology

Inherited from Latin prae, or less likely Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic прѣ (prě)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pre̯a]

• Audio:

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Adverb

prea

1. too

   Nu prea. ― Not really.

   este prea timpuriu ― it's too early

2. too (quite, very)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɾea/ [ˈpɾe.a]
• Rhymes: -ea
• Syllabification: pre‧a

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin praeda, from earlier praeheda, from prae- + Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- (“to hold”).

Etymology 2

Further reading

• “prea”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Etymology

From English prayer.

Noun

prea

1. prayer