Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A reverent petition made to God, a god, or another object of worship.
- noun The act of making a reverent petition to God, a god, or another object of worship.
- noun An act of communion with God, a god, or another object of worship, such as in devotion, confession, praise, or thanksgiving.
- noun A specially worded form used to address God, a god, or another object of worship.
- noun A religious observance in which praying predominates.
- noun A fervent request.
- noun The thing requested.
- noun The slightest chance or hope.
- noun The request for relief by a party initiating a lawsuit, stated in the pleadings.
- noun The portion of the pleadings that contains this request.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One who prays; a suppliant; a petitioner.
- noun The act of beseeching, entreating, or supplicating; supplication; entreaty; petition; suit.
- noun In religious usage, a devout petition to an object of worship, as God, or a saint or an angel; an orison: confined in Protestant usage to such petitions addressed to God; more generally, any spiritual communion with God, including confession, petition, adoration, praise, and thanksgiving. See
dulia . - noun The practice of praying, or of communing with God.
- noun The form of words used in praying; a formula of worship: as, the Lord's Prayer.
- noun A form of religious service; a religious observance, either public or private, consisting mainly of prayer to God; a liturgy: often in the plural: as, the service of morning prayer; family prayers.
- noun That part of a memorial or petition to a public body, or of a bill of complaint in equity, which specifies the thing desired to be done or granted, as distinct from the recital of facts or reasons for the grant.
- noun See the qualifying words.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One who prays; a supplicant.
- noun The act of praying, or of asking a favor; earnest request or entreaty; hence, a petition or memorial addressed to a court or a legislative body.
- noun The act of addressing supplication to a divinity, especially to the true God; the offering of adoration, confession, supplication, and thanksgiving to the Supreme Being
- noun The form of words used in praying; a formula of supplication; an expressed petition; especially, a supplication addressed to God
- noun a book containing devotional prayers.
- noun a meeting or gathering for prayer to God.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun One who
prays . - noun A practice of
communicating with one's God. - noun The act of
praying . - noun The specific words or methods used for
praying . - noun A
meeting held for the express purpose ofpraying . - noun A request; a
petition .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a fixed text used in praying
- noun someone who prays to God
- noun earnest or urgent request
- noun the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)
- noun reverent petition to a deity
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word prayer.
Examples
-
But we must notice that when we speak of prayer we can mean either prayer _considered in itself_ or the _cause of prayer_.
On Prayer and The Contemplative Life Aquinas Thomas 1907
-
But prayer, generally considered, embraces all the above-mentioned parts; when, however, we distinguish one part against another, _prayer_, properly speaking, means the uplifting of the mind to God.
On Prayer and The Contemplative Life Aquinas Thomas 1907
-
The first is the theory of those who hold that there _is the same relation between prayer and the answer to prayer_ as between _cause and effect in any other sequence of Nature_.
Modern Atheism under its forms of Pantheism, Materialism, Secularism, Development, and Natural Laws James Buchanan 1837
-
The book, whose cover bears a photograph of its subject kneeling in prayer, is titled Francisco Franco: Exemplary Christian.
-
The book, whose cover bears a photograph of its subject kneeling in prayer, is titled Francisco Franco: Exemplary Christian.
-
The term prayer (euche) used at Nicæa, has in this connection always been taken in its strict signification as meaning supplication
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 6: Fathers of the Church-Gregory XI 1840-1916 1913
-
Her faith in prayer is equal to her faith in the love of Jesus.
Narrative of Sojourner Truth, a Northern Slave, Emancipated from Bodily Servitude by the State of New York, in 1828 Olive Truth Gilbert 1850
-
And our business in prayer is not to prescribe, but to subscribe to the wisdom and will of God; to refer our case to him, and then to leave it with him.
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume IV (Isaiah to Malachi) 1721
-
This ought to be remembered in prayer, because one great errand we have to the throne of grace, is, to pray for the pardon of our sins: and care about it ought to be our daily care, because prayer is a part of our daily work.
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume V (Matthew to John) 1721
-
He gives us both instruction and encouragement in prayer from the consideration of our relation to God as a Father.
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume V (Matthew to John) 1721
anydelirium commented on the word prayer
'May you do for La Hire what you would like La Hire to do for you, if you were La Hire and La Hire were God.' -famous prayer of Etienne do Vignolles, commonly called La Hire, mercenary and soldier of Joan of Arc.
February 19, 2008
plaid commented on the word prayer
"And by prayer, I don't mean shouting, mumbling, and wallowing like a hog in religious sentiment. Prayer is only another name for good, clean, direct thinking. When you pray, think. Think well what you're saying. Make your thoughts into things that are solid. In that way, your prayer will have strength, and that strength will become a part of you, body, mind, and spirit."
How Green Was My Valley
March 11, 2013