practise

Etymology

From Middle English practizen, a variant of practisen, from Middle French pratiser, practiser, from Medieval Latin practizo, from Late Latin practico (“to do, perform, execute, propose, practise, exercise, be conversant with, contrive, conspire, etc.”), from prāctica (“practical affairs", "business”), from Ancient Greek πρᾱκτική (prāktikḗ), from πρᾱκτικός (prāktikós, “practical”), from πρᾱ́σσειν (prā́ssein, “to do”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per(h₂)- (“to go over, cross”).

verb

1. (transitive) To repeat (an activity) as a way of improving one's skill in that activity.
   You should practise playing piano every day.
2. (intransitive) To repeat an activity in this way.
   If you want to speak French well, you need to practise.
3. (transitive) To perform or observe in an habitual fashion.
   They gather to practise religion every Saturday.
   Hydromancy was extensively practised by the Egyptian priests and sorcerers[.] 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 39
   He draws eclectically on studies of baboons, descriptive anthropological accounts of hunter-gatherer societies and, in a few cases, the fossil record. With this biological framework in place, Corning endeavors to show that the capitalist system as currently practiced in the United States and elsewhere is manifestly unfair. 2012 March-April, John T. Jost, “Social Justice: Is It in Our Nature (and Our Future)?”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 2012-02-13, page 162
4. (transitive) To pursue (a career, especially law, fine art or medicine).
   She practised law for forty years before retiring.
5. (intransitive, obsolete) To conspire.
6. To put into practice; to carry out; to act upon; to commit; to execute; to do.
7. To make use of; to employ.
   In malice to this good knight's wife, I practised Ubaldo and Ricardo to corrupt her. 1629, Philip Massinger, Nathan Field, The Picture
8. To teach or accustom by practice; to train.

noun

1. Obsolete spelling of practice.
   And againe You ſaw that I ſpake to you from Heauen, therefore yee ſhall make no Gods of Golde nor ſiluer: as if he ſhould haue ſaide, my practiſe in ſpeakeing to you by voyce and not by Image ſhoulde teach you that by my word and not by image, I am be remembred. 1596, Geruase Babington, A Very Fruitfull Exposition of the Commaundements by Way of Questions and Answeres for Greater Plainnesse, R. Robinson, for Thomas Charde, page 45
   [T]heſe Muſhrome Lords (Spirituall onely in Title, but wholly Temporall in reality), firſt ſprouted up by inſenſible degrees in the Church of Christ; ſo it is moſt infallibly convinced of notorious falſehood, by the multitude of thoſe moſt execrable Treaſons, Treacheries, Conſpiracies, Rebellions, Contumacies, Inſurrections, Seditions, and Anti-Monarchiall practiſes of Lordly Prelates, againſt their Soveraignes, in all ages ſince they grew rich and potent, in all Kingdomes and Churches where they have been admitted; […] 1641, William Prynne, “The Prologve”, in The Antipathie of the English Lordly Prelacie, both to Regall Monarchy, and Civil Unity: or, An Historicall Collection of the Severall Execrable Treasons, Conspiracies, Rebellions, Seditions, State-schismes, Contumacies, Antimonarchicall Practices, & Oppressions of our English, British, French, Scottish, and Irish Lardly Prelates, against our Kingdomes, Lawes, Liberties; and of the Severall Warres, and Civil Dissentions Occasioned by Them, in or against our Realm, in Former and Latter Ages. … The First Part, volume I, London: Printed by authority for Michael Sparke, senior, →OCLC, page 1
   How to keep the corps ſeven dayes from corruption by anointing and waſhing, without exenteration, were an hazardable peece of art, in our choiſeſt practiſe. 1658, Thomas Browne, Hydriotaphia, Urne-Buriall, or, A Discourse of the Sepulchrall Urnes Lately Found in Norfolk[…], London: […] Hen. Brome[…], page 16
2. Misspelling of practice.