PRAY

beg, implore, pray

(verb) call upon in supplication; entreat; “I beg you to stop!”

pray

(verb) address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer; “pray to the Lord”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Proper noun

Pray (plural Prays)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Pray is the 8700^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 3773 individuals. Pray is most common among White (84.1%) individuals.

Etymology

Verb

pray (third-person singular simple present prays, present participle praying, simple past and past participle prayed)

(religion) To direct words and/or thoughts to God or any higher being, for the sake of adoration, thanks, petition for help, etc.

To humbly beg a person for aid or their time.

(obsolete) To ask earnestly for; to seek to obtain by supplication; to entreat for.

(obsolete) to implore, to entreat, to request.

Adverb

pray (not comparable)

Please; used to make a polite request.

Source: Wiktionary

Pray, n. & v.

Definition: See Pry. [Obs.] Spenser.

Pray, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Prayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Praying.] Etym: [OE. preien, OF. preier, F. prier, L. precari, fr. prex, precis, a prayer, a request; akin to Skr. prach to ask, AS. frignan, frinan, fricgan, G. fragen, Goth. fraíhnan. Cf. Deprecate, Imprecate, Precarious.]

Definition: 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. And to his goddess pitously he preyde. Chaucer. 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. 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. I pray, sir. why am I beaten Shak.

Syn.

– To entreat; supplicate; beg; implore; invoke; beseech; petition.

Pray, v. t.

1. To address earnest request to; to supplicate; to entreat; to implore; to beseech. And as this earl was preyed, so did he. Chaucer. We pray you . . . by ye reconciled to God. 2 Cor. v. 20.

2. To ask earnestly for; to seek to obtain by supplication; to entreat for. I know not how to pray your patience. Shak.

3. To effect or accomplish by praying; as, to pray a soul out of purgatory. Milman. 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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition