prayer
//pɹɛə//
Forms
- Plural
- prayers
Definitions
1.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.
2.An act of praying.
- 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.
3.The specific words or methods used for praying.
- For Baha'is, there's a difference between obligatory prayers and devotional prayers.
- Christians recite the Lord's Prayer.
4.A meeting held for the express purpose of praying.
- Grandpa never misses a chance to go to prayer.
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #2171
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Word family
Etymology
From Middle English preiere, from Old French preiere, from Early Medieval Latin precāria, derived from Latin precem.
Displaced native Old English ġebed (whence modern English bead).