prayer
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English
Etymology 1
From Middle English preiere, from Old French preiere, from Early Medieval Latin precāria, derived from Latin precem. Displaced native Old English ġebed.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /pɹɛə(ɹ)/
- (US) enPR: prâr, prāʹər, IPA(key): /pɹɛɚ/, /ˈpɹɛɹ/, /ˈpɹeɪəɹ/
Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ), -eɪə(ɹ)
Noun
prayer (countable and uncountable, plural prayers)
- (uncountable) A practice of communicating with one's God, or with some spiritual entity.
- Through prayer I ask for God's guidance.
- In many cultures, prayer involves singing.
- (countable) An act of praying.
- 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
- Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, […] , down the nave to the western door. […] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer.
- 2020 December, Dave Barry, Year in review:
- In that spirit, we’ll close with the wish we always offer at the end of our annual review, although this time it’s more of a prayer: Happy new year.
- The specific words or methods used for praying.
- For Baha'is there's a difference between obligatory and devotional prayer.
- A meeting held for the express purpose of praying.
- Grandpa never misses a chance to go to prayer.
- (countable) A request; a petition.
- This, your honor, is my prayer; that all here be set free.
- (in the singular, mostly in negative constructions) The remotest hope or chance.
- That team doesn't have a prayer of winning the championship.
Synonyms
Derived terms
- arrow prayer
- call to prayer
- dawn prayer
- evening prayer
- friday prayer
- house of prayer
- morning prayer
- not have a prayer
- on a wing and a prayer
- prayer bead
- prayer beads
- prayer book
- prayer bump
- prayer card
- prayer circle
- prayer flag
- prayer for relief
- prayer mat
- prayer meeting
- prayer mill
- prayer-monger
- prayer plant
- prayer room
- prayer rope
- prayer rug
- prayer shawl
- Prayers of the People
- prayer wheel
- psychic prayer
- sinner's prayer
- sunset prayer
- the answer to a maiden's prayer
- wing and prayer
Translations
practice of communicating with one's God
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the act of praying
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the specific words or methods used for praying
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a meeting held for the express purpose of praying
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a request; a petition
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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
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Etymology 2
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈpɹeɪə(ɹ)/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
- (US) enPR: prāʹər, IPA(key): /ˈpɹeɪəɹ/
- Rhymes: -eɪə(ɹ)
Noun
prayer (plural prayers)
- One who prays.
- 1974, Shel Silverstein, “Invitation”, in Where the Sidewalk Ends, Harper Collins Publishers:
- If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar / A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…
- 2012, Paul O'Connor, Islam in Hong Kong: Muslims and Everyday Life in China's World City:
- Out of the 37 respondents, seven are infrequent prayers who prefer to leave the precise details of their prayer life ambiguous.
Translations
one who prays
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