Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Preaching \Preach"ing\, n.
   The act of delivering a religious discourse; the art of
   sermonizing; also, a sermon; a public religious discourse;
   serious, earnest advice. --Milner.

   {Preaching cross}, a cross, sometimes surmounting a pulpit,
      erected out of doors to designate a preaching place.

   {Preaching friars}. See {Dominican}.