Archaic KJV Word
Entreat
Modern equivalent: plead with / treat
What Was Lost
The dual relationship dynamic. Ruth's 'entreat me not to leave thee' was a passionate, dignified plea from the depths of covenant loyalty -- not begging but asserting her right to remain. Pharaoh 'entreated Abram well' meant he treated him generously. The word held both petitioning and provisioning in one verb -- asking and giving, the two directions of relationship.
Closest Survivor in Modern English
treat (preserves the 'deal with/handle' meaning but lost the solemnity)
Peak Usage (1611)
KJV Ruth 1:16 -- 'Entreat me not to leave thee'; Genesis 12:16 -- 'He entreated Abram well for her sake'
Died ~1850
The dual meaning split: 'to plead with earnestly' survived (barely), but 'to treat/deal with/handle' died entirely, creating confusion in passages where entreat meant 'treated well' rather than 'begged.'
What Replaced It
“plead with”
Only half the original; entreat also meant to handle, deal with, treat a person in a certain way
“beg”
Degrading; entreat-as-pleading carried dignity and deep emotion, not groveling
“treat”
Casual; entreat-as-treat meant deliberate, significant handling -- how a king dealt with a guest