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Webster 1913 Edition

Pray

Pray

,
Noun.
&
Verb.
See
Pry
.
[Obs.]
Spenser.

Pray

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Prayed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Praying
.]
[OE.
preien
, OF.
preier
, F.
prier
, L.
precari
, fr.
prex
,
precis
, a prayer, a request; akin to Skr.
prach
to ask, AS.
frignan
,
frīnan
,
fricgan
, G.
fragen
, Goth.
fraíhnan
. Cf.
Deprecate
,
Imprecate
,
Precarious
.]
To make request with earnestness or zeal, as for something desired; to make entreaty or supplication; to offer prayer to a deity or divine being as a religious act; specifically, to address the Supreme Being with adoration, confession, supplication, and thanksgiving.
And to his goddess pitously he
preyde
.
Chaucer.
When thou
prayest
, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door,
pray
to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matt. vi. 6.
I pray
, or (by ellipsis)
Pray
,
I beg; I request; I entreat you; – used in asking a question, making a request, introducing a petition, etc.;
as,
Pray
, allow me to go
.
I
pray
, sir. why am I beaten?
Shakespeare
Syn. – To entreat; supplicate; beg; implore; invoke; beseech; petition.

Pray

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To address earnest request to; to supplicate; to entreat; to implore; to beseech.
And as this earl was
preyed
, so did he.
Chaucer.
We
pray
you . . . by ye reconciled to God.
2 Cor. v. 20.
2.
To ask earnestly for; to seek to obtain by supplication; to entreat for.
I know not how to
pray
your patience.
Shakespeare
3.
To effect or accomplish by praying;
as, to
pray
a soul out of purgatory
.
Milman.
To pray in aid
.
(Law)
(a)
To call in as a helper one who has an interest in the cause
.
Bacon.
(b)
A phrase often used to signify claiming the benefit of an argument. See under
Aid
.
Mozley & W.

Webster 1828 Edition

Pray

PRAY

,
Verb.
I.
[L. precor; proco; this word belongs to the same family as preach and reproach; Heb. to bless, to reproach; rendered in Job 2.9, to curse; properly, to reproach, to rail at or upbraid. In Latin the word precor signifies to supplicate good or evil, and precis signifies a prayer and a curse. See Imprecate.]
1.
To ask with earnestness or zeal, as for a favor, or for something desirable; to entreat; to supplicate.
Pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you. Matt.5.
2.
To petition; to ask, as for a favor; as in application to a legislative body.
3.
In worship, to address the Supreme Being with solemnity and reverence, with adoration, confession of sins, supplication for mercy, and thanksgiving for blessings received.
When thou prayest, enter into thy closet,and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Matt.6.
4.
I pray, that is, I pray you tell me, or let me know, is a common mode of introducing a question.

PRAY

,
Verb.
T.
To supplicate; to entreat; to urge.
We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 2 Cor.5.
1.
In worship, to supplicate; to implore; to ask with reverence and humility.
Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee.
Acts 8.
2.
To petition. The plaintiff prays judgment of the court.
He that will have the benefit of this act, must pray a prohibition before a sentence in the ecclesiastical court.
3.
To ask or intreat in ceremony or form.
Pray my colleague Antonius I may speak with him.
[In most instances, this verb is transitive only by ellipsis. To pray God, is used for to pray to God; to pray a prohibition, is to pray for a prohibition, &c.]
To pray in aid, in law, is to call in for help one who has interest in the cause.

Definition 2024

pray

pray

English

Verb

pray ‎(third-person singular simple present prays, present participle praying, simple past and past participle prayed)

  1. To petition or solicit help from a supernatural or higher being.
    Muslims pray in the direction of Mecca.
  2. To humbly beg a person for aid or their time.
  3. (religion) To communicate with God for any reason.
  4. (obsolete) To ask earnestly for; to seek to obtain by supplication; to entreat for.
    • Shakespeare
      I know not how to pray your patience.

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

pray ‎(not comparable)

  1. Please; used to make a polite request.
    pray silence for…
    • 1816, Jane Austen, Emma, Volume 1 Chapter 8
      "Pray, Mr. Knightley," said Emma, who had been smiling to herself through a great part of this speech, "how do you know that Mr. Martin did not speak yesterday?"
    • Charles Dickens, The Old Curiosity Shop, Chapter 10, 1841:
      Pray don’t ask me why, pray don’t be sorry, pray don’t be vexed with me!
    • Frederick Marryat, The Mission, Chapter XXI, 1845:
      Well, Major, pray tell us your adventures, for you have frightened us dreadfully.
    • 1892, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
      Thank you. I am sorry to have interrupted you. Pray continue your most interesting statement.
    • 2013, Martina Hyde, Is the pope Catholic? (in The Guardian, 20 September 2013)
      He is a South American, so perhaps revolutionary spirit courses through Francis's veins. But what, pray, does the Catholic church want with doubt?

Etymology

From Middle English preien, from Anglo-Norman preier, from Old French preier, proier, (French prier), from Late Latin *precāre, from Latin precārī, present active infinitive of precor, from prex, precis ‎(“a prayer, a request”). Cognate via Indo-European of Old English frignan, fricgan, German fragen, Dutch vragen. Confer deprecate, imprecate, precarious.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: prā, IPA(key): /preɪ/
  • Rhymes: -eɪ
  • Homophone: prey

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