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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Pray \Pray\, noun & v. See {Pry}. [Obs.] --Spenser.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Pray \Pray\, verb (used without an object) [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[=i]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.
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.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Pray \Pray\, verb (used with an object)
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.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
pray
verb
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
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