pray

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“
"M. von Schladen," she said, in French, "pray, give orders to all not to betray my incognito.

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Definitions (23)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (6)

  1. intransitive verb To utter or address a prayer or prayers to God, a god, or another object of worship.
  2. intransitive verb To make a fervent request or entreaty.
  3. transitive verb To utter or say a prayer or prayers to; address by prayer.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (12)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

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Examples (50)

  • As for this little one so broken, pray for him and for all who are sick, suffering, lonely, afraid - pray, that is, for all. —  Latest entries from endlesslyrocking.blog-city.com
  • RSS or TrackBack to 'just after pray, pray, they came out full of anger and hatred'. on January 10th, 2009 at 9: 09 pm —  mental jog
  • If we cannot find the time or the reason to go there and pray, that is most probably the end of it for the baby and his mother going to the abortion clinic. —  Generations for Life
  • Orare est laborare -- to pray is to work -- is a principle that new monks quickly learn at Mepkin. —  Forbes.com: News
  • "Verily I say unto you, They have their reward," He who would really pray--pray as nearly as possible as Christ prayed, pray in actual communion with God to whom the prayer is addressed--will seek privacy, seclusion, isolation; if opportunity permits he will retire to his chamber, and will shut the door, that none may intrude; there he may pray indeed, if the spirit of prayer be in his heart; and this course was commended by the Lord. —  Jesus the Christ A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

hurteth ·  honking ·  can ·  regurgitation ·  prayse ·  expl

Used in the same contextWord Family

pray:   prayed ·  praying ·  prays
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English preien, from Old French preier, from Latin precārī, from precē, pl. of *prex, prayer; see prek- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from Middle English prayen, preyen, preien, from Old French preier, praier, proier, preer, prier, French prier = Provencal preyar, pregar = Italian pregare, pray, from Latin precari, Middle Latin also precare, ask, beg, entreat, beseech, pray, supplicate; cf. prex (prec-), usually in plural preces, a prayer, procare, ask, demand, procus, a wooer; cf. Sanskrit √ prachh, ask: see frain, and cf. postulate. Hence ult. (from Latin precari) English prayer, precarious, precative, deprecate, imprecate, etc.
 

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