Pray Definition
prā
prayed, praying, prays
verb
prayed, praying, prays
To implore or beseech.
Pray tell me.
Webster's New World
To recite (a prayer) silently or aloud.
Webster's New World
To use prayer to request (that something may happen).
The congregation prayed that the drought would end soon. The child prayed to be more considerate of others.
American Heritage
To worship God, a god, etc., as by reciting certain set formulas silently or aloud.
Webster's New World
To ask very earnestly; make supplication, as to a deity.
Webster's New World
adverb
Used to make a polite or urgent request or question.
Pray don't apologize.
American Heritage
Origin of Pray
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From Middle English preien, from Anglo-Norman preier, from Old French preier, proier, (French prier), from Late Latin precāre, from Latin precārÄ«, present active infinitive of precor, from prex, precis, “a prayer, a request"; akin to Sanskrit prach “to ask", Old English frignan, fricgan, German fragen, Dutch vragen. Confer deprecate, imprecate, precarious.
From Wiktionary
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Middle English preien from Old French preier from Latin precārī from precēs pl. of *prex prayer prek- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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