Pray

7 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Pray \Pray\, v. t.
     1. To address earnest request to; to supplicate; to entreat;
        to implore; to beseech.
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              And as this earl was preyed, so did he. --Chaucer.


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              We pray you . . . by ye reconciled to God. --2 Cor.
                                                    v. 20.
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     2. To ask earnestly for; to seek to obtain by supplication;
        to entreat for.
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              I know not how to pray your patience. --Shak.
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     3. To effect or accomplish by praying; as, to pray a soul out
        of purgatory. --Milman.
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     {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.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Pray \Pray\, n. & v.
     See {Pry}. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Pray \Pray\, v. 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, fr[imac]nan, fricgan, G. fragen, Goth.
     fra['i]hnan. 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.
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           And to his goddess pitously he preyde.   --Chaucer.
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           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.
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     {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.
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              I pray, sir. why am I beaten?         --Shak.
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     Syn: To entreat; supplicate; beg; implore; invoke; beseech;
          petition.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  pray
       v 1: address God; say a prayer
       2: call upon in supplication; entreat; "I beg you to stop!"
          [syn: {beg}, {implore}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  55 Moby Thesaurus words for "pray":
     I beg you, adjure, appeal, appeal to, apply to, ask,
     be good enough, beg, beseech, brace, call for help, call on,
     call upon, circulate a petition, clamor for, commune with God,
     conjure, crave, cry for, cry on, cry to, do, entreat, give thanks,
     have the goodness, if you please, impetrate, implore, importune,
     imprecate, invoke, kneel to, make supplication, memorialize,
     obtest, offer a prayer, petition, plead, plead for, plead with,
     please, pray do, pray over, prefer a petition, prithee,
     recite the rosary, request, return thanks, run to, say grace,
     sign a petition, solicit, sue, supplicate, will you
  
  

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  PRAY, v.  To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf
  of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy.
  
  

From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:

  Pray, MT
    Zip code(s): 59065