Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To act or behave in a specified manner toward.
  • intransitive verb To regard and handle in a certain way. Often used with as.
  • intransitive verb To deal with in writing or speech; discuss.
  • intransitive verb To deal with or represent artistically in a specified manner or style.
  • intransitive verb To provide with food, entertainment, or gifts at one's own expense.
  • intransitive verb To give (someone or oneself) something pleasurable.
  • intransitive verb To subject to a process, action, or change, especially to a chemical or physical process or application.
  • intransitive verb To give medical aid to (someone).
  • intransitive verb To give medical aid to counteract (a disease or condition).
  • intransitive verb To deal with a subject or topic in writing or speech. Often used with of.
  • intransitive verb To pay for another's entertainment, food, or drink.
  • intransitive verb To engage in negotiations, as to reach a settlement or agree on terms.
  • noun Something, such as one's food or entertainment, that is paid for by someone else.
  • noun A source of a special delight or pleasure.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Parley; conference; treaty; discourse; discussion.
  • noun An entertainment given as a compliment or expression of regard.
  • noun Something given as an entertainment; something paid for in compliment to another.
  • noun One's turn to treat (see treat, v. i., 3); especially, one of several rounds of drinks: as, it is my treat now.
  • noun Anything which affords much pleasure; that which is peculiarly enjoyable; unusual gratification.
  • noun An entreaty.
  • To behave to or toward; conduct one's self in a certain manner with respect to; use.
  • To discuss; discourse of; consider.
  • To address; discourse to.
  • To negotiate; settle.
  • To handle, manipulate, or develop in any manner, especially in writing or speaking, or by any of the processes of art.
  • To look upon; consider; regard.
  • To manage in the application of remedies: as, to treat a fever or a patient.
  • To sudject to the action of some chemical agent or reagent.
  • To entertain; give a pleasure or treat to; especially, to entertain without expense to the recipient; give food or drink to, as a compliment or an expression of friendliness or regard.
  • To entreat; beseech; solicit.
  • To discourse; handle in writing or speaking; make discussion: formerly used absolutely, now followed usually by of, rarely by upon.
  • To negotiate, especially for peace; discuss terms of accommodation: used absolutely or with a limiting phrase.
  • To give an entertainment which costs the recipient nothing; especially, to bear the expense of food. drink, or any pleasure for another as a compliment or expression of good will. Compare to stand treat, under treat, n.
  • In electricity, in the making of glow-lamps, to coat (the filament) with a deposited layer of carbon.
  • noun A plaster or a salve made of wax, lard, etc., spread on cloth; a cerate.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete A parley; a conference.
  • noun An entertainment given as an expression of regard.
  • noun That which affords entertainment; a gratification; a satisfaction.
  • intransitive verb To discourse; to handle a subject in writing or speaking; to make discussion; -- usually with of.
  • intransitive verb To negotiate; to come to terms of accommodation; -- often followed by with.
  • intransitive verb To give a gratuitous entertainment, esp. of food or drink, as a compliment.
  • transitive verb To handle; to manage; to use; to bear one's self toward
  • transitive verb To discourse on; to handle in a particular manner, in writing or speaking.
  • transitive verb To entertain with food or drink, especially the latter, as a compliment, or as an expression of friendship or regard.
  • transitive verb obsolete To negotiate; to settle; to make terms for.
  • transitive verb (Med.) To care for medicinally or surgically; to manage in the use of remedies or appliances.
  • transitive verb To subject to some action; to apply something to.
  • transitive verb obsolete To entreat; to beseech.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English tretien, from Old French traitier, from Latin tractāre, frequentative of trahere, to draw.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Anglo-Norman treter, Old French tretier, from Latin trāctare ("to pull", "to manage"), from the past participle stem of trahere ("to draw", "to pull").

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Examples

Comments

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  • There are a lot of definitions for this word. I just happened to notice that two are missing:

    Treat: What the termite guy does when he comes to your house the first time to discourage termites from eating your home. Involves spraying a liquid substance around the foundation of your house.

    Treat: What the termite guy does when he comes to your house the second time to discourage you from calling him again. Involves spraying several rooms of your home with what ultimately will look like machine gun fire, thus causing said rooms to resemble any of a number of scences from The Godfather -- pick your favorite: the tollbooth, the revolving door, the elevator, the barber shop, the massage parlor, etc..(OR, the car in the last scene from Bonnie & Clyde).

    You're welcome.

    June 24, 2009