What is "pray"

Pray \Pray\, n. & v. See Pry. [Obs.]
--Spenser.

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[=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.

Pray \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)

   1. To call in as a helper one who has an interest in the cause.
      --Bacon.

   2. A phrase often used to signify claiming the benefit of an argument. See under Aid.
      --Mozley & W.

early 13c., "ask earnestly, beg," also (c.1300) "pray to a god or saint," from Old French preier "to pray" (c.900, Modern French prier), from Vulgar Latin *precare (also source of Italian pregare), from Latin precari "ask earnestly, beg, entreat," from *prex (plural preces, genitive precis) "prayer, request, entreaty," from PIE root *prek- "to ask, request, entreat" (cognates: Sanskrit prasna-, Avestan frashna- "question;" Old Church Slavonic prositi, Lithuanian prasyti "to ask, beg;" Old High German frahen, German fragen, Old English fricgan "to ask" a question).\n

\nParenthetical expression I pray you, "please, if you will," attested from 1510s, contracted to pray 16c. Related: Prayed; praying. Praying mantis attested from 1809. The "Gardener's Monthly" of July 1861 lists other names for it as camel cricket, soothsayer, and rear horse.

adv. please; used to make a polite request. vb. 1 To petition or solicit help from a supernatural or higher being. 2 To humbly beg a person for aid or their time. 3 (context religion English) to communicate with God for any reason. 4 (context obsolete English) To ask earnestly for; to seek to obtain by supplication; to entreat for.

1. v. address God; say a prayer

2. call upon in supplication; entreat; "I beg you to stop!" [syn: beg, implore]

To pray is to engage in prayer, an active effort to communicate with a deity or spirit.

Pray may also refer to:

Pray is the fifth studio album from Christian pop and rock artist Rebecca St. James. It was released on October 20, 1998 by ForeFront Records and was certified Gold by the RIAA in September 2006. The album won a Grammy Award for Rock Gospel Album of the Year, St. James's only Grammy so far. The album was produced by Tedd T.

"Pray" is the third single released by Tomoko Kawase under the name Tommy heavenly, and the second single released for the Heavy Starry Heavenly album. Two versions were offered, included a version with an alternative cover, stickers, and DVD. "Pray" was used as the first opening for the Gintama anime series. "Pray" peaked at #10 on the Oricon singles chart.

"Pray" is a song by English boy band Take That. Written by Gary Barlow, it was released on 5 July 1993 as the second single from their second studio album, Everything Changes (1993). It is the first of twelve singles by the band to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart, staying at number one for four weeks, and starting a streak of four consecutive number one singles. The song has received a Gold sales status certification and sold over 410,000 copies in the UK, won Best British Single and Best British Video at the 1994 BRIT Awards, and was the finale of Take That's Beautiful World Tour (2007).

"Pray" is a song written by Mark Topham and Karl Twigg, and recorded by British singer Tina Cousins. It was released in November 1998 as the lead single from her debut album Killing Time.

The song was her second consecutive top 20 hit in the United Kingdom and her first top 10 hit in Australia where it achieved gold sales. In Australia, it also made the top 10 airplay songs for the year.

is a 2005 Japanese film directed by Yuichi Sato, starring Tetsuji Tamayama and Asami Mizukawa.

"Pray" is a song by Christian rock band Sanctus Real from their sixth studio album, Run. It was released on April 30, 2013, as the second single from the album. This was the song used for the National Day of Prayer campaign.

"Pray" was the third single released from MC Hammer's third album, Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. Produced by MC Hammer himself, the song heavily samples Prince's smash-hit song, " When Doves Cry", the first and one of the few songs legally sanctioned by Prince to incorporate samples of one of his compositions. The track also samples Faith No More's " We Care a Lot".

"Pray" became Hammer's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number two (kept from the top spot by Mariah Carey's " Love Takes Time"), becoming a Top-20 hit in nine countries. The track helped make Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em the number one album of the year. In the U. S., the song was certified gold on November 26, 1990, with sales over 500,000 copies.

This hit single (accompanied with music videos) became one of Hammer's most popular songs and has appeared on several compilation albums, including Greatest Hits, Back 2 Back Hits and The Hits. It also appeared in Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (1990). The word "pray" is mentioned 147 times during the song, setting the record for the number of times a song title is repeated in an American Top 40 hit.

"Pray" is a song performed by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. The song was written by Bieber along with Omar Martinez and Adam Messinger and Nasri of The Messengers, with the latter duo producing the track. The song is taken as a single in several European countries from his first compilation album, My Worlds: The Collection. In the United States and Canada, the song is included on My Worlds Acoustic. According to Bieber, he was inspired by Michael Jackson's " Man in the Mirror" (1988) when writing the song. The song is a contemporary Christian song, while deriving from pop and R&B influences, and using a world music backdrop. It primarily features acoustic instruments, however does make small usages of electronic sounds.

"Pray" received generally positive reviews, with critics appreciating the message portrayed in the song. It reached the lower half on the singles charts in Germany and Austria, and charted in several regions where it was not released as a single such as the United States and Australia. The song's music video premiered on Facebook on December 11, 2010. The video, which also has religious undertones, features clips of places affected by natural disasters, sick children, possessed homes, and more, which are intercut with Bieber performing. Bieber debuted and performed the song on the American Music Awards, accompanied by a full choir.

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