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pray

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Pray

English

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Etymology 1

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Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *preḱ-
Proto-Italic *preks
Latin prex
Latin precārī
Late Latin precāre
Old French proiier
Anglo-Norman preierbor.
Middle English preien
English pray

    Inherited from Middle English preien, borrowed from Anglo-Norman preier, from Old French proiier, from Late Latin precāre, from Latin precārī, from prex (“request, petition, prayer”), from Proto-Italic *preks, from Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- (“to request, ask”). Displaced native Old English gebiddan.

    Cognate via Indo-European of Old English frignan, fricgan, German fragen, Dutch vragen. Compare deprecate, imprecate, precarious.

    Pronunciation

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    Verb

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

    1. (religion) To direct words, thoughts, or one's attention to a deity or any higher being, for the sake of adoration, thanks, petition for help, etc.
      Muslims pray in the direction of Mecca.
      • 1905, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], The Gods of Pegāna, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, […], →OCLC:
        Pray to the small gods and hope that they may hear thee. Yet what mercy should the small gods have, who themselves made Death and Pain; or shall they restrain their old hound Time for thee?
      • 1995, David Mack & John J. Ordover, “Starship Down”, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, season 4, episode 7, spoken by Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor):
        This can't happen. You can't die! You're the Emissary! [...] Captain, I know my beliefs make you uncomfortable around me sometimes, and that maybe that's why you keep me at arm's length. But I don't care about that right now, and I am going to pray, because I don't know what else to do.
      • 2021 January 13, Bethan McKernan, “Turkey drought: Istanbul could run out of water in 45 days”, in The Guardian‎[1], archived from the original on 30 April 2021:
        The critically low level of rainfall in the second half of 2020 – approaching 50% year on year for November – led the religious affairs directorate to instruct imams and their congregations to pray for rain last month.
    2. To humbly beg a person for aid or their time.
    3. (obsolete) To ask earnestly for; to seek to obtain by supplication; to entreat for.
    4. To wish or hope strongly for a particular outcome.
      She is praying that the Red Sox will win tonight.
    5. (obsolete or law) To implore, to entreat, to request.
      • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 7:
        They prayd him sit, and gave him for to feed
        Such homely what as serves the simple clowne,
        That doth despise the dainties of the towne […]
      • 1890, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 2, page 370:
        In time of drought the Abchases of the Caucasus sacrifice an ox to Ap-hi, the god of thunder and lightning, and an old man prays him to send rain, thunder, and lightning, telling him that the crops are parched.
      • 2021, Yang di-Pertuan Agong, “Schedule”, in Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021‎[2], archived from the original on 20 July 2023, page 31:
        I humbly pray to the Honorable Court for the order for the removal of the publication which contains fake news to be granted.
    Derived terms
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    Translations
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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Etymology 2

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    Ellipsis of I pray you, I pray thee, whence also prithee.

    Adverb

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    pray (not comparable)

    1. (archaic or formal) Please; used to make a polite request
      pray silence for…
    2. Alternative form of pray tell (“I ask you”).
      • 1981, A. D. Hope, “His Coy Mistress to Mr. Marvell”, in A Book of Answers:
        Shall I be moved to love you, pray, / By hints that I must soon decay? / No woman's won by being told / How quickly she is growing old[...]
      • 20 September 2013, Martina Hyde, “Is the pope Catholic?”, in The Guardian‎[3]:
        He is a South American, so perhaps revolutionary spirit courses through Francis's veins. But what, pray, does the Catholic church want with doubt?
    Translations
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    Middle English

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    Verb

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    pray

    1. alternative form of preie
      • 1470–1483 (date produced), Thom̃s Malleorre [i.e., Thomas Malory], “[Morte Arthur]”, in Le Morte Darthur (British Library Additional Manuscript 59678), [England: s.n.], folio 449, verso, lines 15–18:
        Than ſpake ẜ Gawayne And ſeyde brothir · ẜ Aggravayne I pray you and charge you meve no ſuch · maters no more a fore me fro wyte you well I woll nat be of youre counceyle //
        Then spoke Sir Gawain, and said, “Brother, Sir Agrivain, I pray you and charge you move not such matters any more before me, for be ye assured I will not be of your counsel.”
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