to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to (God or an object of worship).
to offer (a prayer).
to bring, put, etc., by praying: to pray a soul into heaven.
to make earnest petition to (a person).
to make petition or entreaty for; crave: She prayed his forgiveness.
to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to God or to an object of worship.
to enter into spiritual communion with God or an object of worship through prayer.
verb (used without object)
to make entreaty or supplication, as to a person or for a thing.
Origin of pray
1250–1300; Middle English preien<Old French preier ≪ Latin precārī to beg, pray, derivative of prex (stem prec-) prayer; akin to Old English fricgan,Dutch vragen,German fragen,Gothic fraihnan to ask
Pater Noster translates to “Our Father,” the opening of the Lord’s Prayer, which Christians have prayed together for millennia.
The ancient palindrome that explains Christopher Nolan’s Tenet|Alissa Wilkinson|September 4, 2020|Vox
So I’ve started leaving the court after we do our shooting stuff as if I was going to chapel, and I just go to the locker room, read my own devotional and pray.
Why Are The WNBA’s ‘Home’ Teams Feeling So At Home In The Bubble?|Howard Megdal|August 19, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Women at the lab, meanwhile, sat quietly for 11 minutes, about the same time it took for the other women to pray.
Why do we miss the rituals put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic?|Sujata Gupta|August 14, 2020|Science News
I surely hope, and I almost pray, that what the Fed did was in reaction to what they were seeing in the data, that they felt that there was an actual slowing of the economy and they were in the wrong place.
Fed Up (Ep. 390)|Stephen J. Dubner|September 26, 2019|Freakonomics
That is a lot to pray for, but Pope Francis is praying for all of us.
Does Pope Francis Believe Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?|Jay Parini|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I wake up and I pray, and then I see visions and I explain all those to my mom,” who would give her canvases to re-create them.
Let us pray for peace, not violence for Ferguson and our country no matter what the jury in their wisdom might decide.
As Michael Brown Grand Jury Winds Down, Is Ferguson on the Brink of War?|Ron Christie|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I just pray that everyone just keep their children safe,” Anderson said.
11 Children Shot in Milwaukee, One in Her Grandpa's Lap|Michael Daly|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“If there has ever been a time to pray, this is it,” he told recipients of texts and emails.
Ferguson on Knife Edge of More Violence After Grand Jury Evidence Leak Showing Struggle|Justin Glawe|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Oh, pray take a glass with the young gentleman,” said Captain Bradshaw, with mock politeness.
The King's Own|Captain Frederick Marryat
"Not on me with axe, I pray you," he answered laughing, and twisting his head on one side.
Wulfric the Weapon Thane|Charles W. Whistler
And pray, brother, what's become of his honest companion, Duretete?
The Inconstant|George Farquhar
And having killed ye men, they made a pray of what they had, and chafered away some of their things to ye Dutch that lived their.
Bradford's History of 'Plimoth Plantation'|William Bradford
Oh do pray explain it to us now, I am so very curious to know how that is possible.
Conversations on Natural Philosophy, in which the Elements of that Science are Familiarly Explained|Jane Haldimand Marcet and Thomas P. Jones
British Dictionary definitions for pray
pray
/ (preɪ) /
verb
(when intr, often foll by for; when tr, usually takes a clause as object) to utter prayers (to God or other object of worship)we prayed to God for the sick child
(when tr, usually takes a clause as object or an infinitive)to make an earnest entreaty (to or for); beg or imploreshe prayed to be allowed to go; leave, I pray you
(tr)rareto accomplish or bring by prayingto pray a soul into the kingdom
interjection
archaicI beg you; pleasepray, leave us alone
Word Origin for pray
C13: from Old French preier, from Latin precārī to implore, from prex an entreaty; related to Old English fricgan, Old High German frāgēn to ask, Old Norse fregna to enquire
Where Did The Phrase “Thoughts And Prayers” Come From?While increased attention to the calamities of the world is in theory a good thing, hearing about every single tragedy doesn't necessarily correlate with absolute empathy. At the very least, people—especially politicians—tend to offer up a phrase or two to acknowledge a misfortune. One of the most popular phrases? "Thoughts and prayers."