praying
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
pray
(prā)v. prayed, pray·ing, prays
v.intr.
To utter or address a prayer or prayers to a deity or an object of worship, often as an entreaty: people praying in the pews of the church; people praying for divine guidance; people praying for their loved ones.
v.tr.
1. 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.
2. To say (a prayer or group of prayers): pray the rosary.
3. To make a devout or earnest request for: I pray your forgiveness.
4. To utter or say a prayer or prayers to; address by prayer: "I pray Heaven that I never may forget the dear girl" (Charles Dickens).
5. Archaic To ask (someone) imploringly for something; beseech. Used chiefly in the phrase I pray you to introduce a polite or urgent request or question: I pray you be careful.
adv.
Used to make a polite or urgent request or question: Pray don't apologize.
[Middle English preien, from Old French preier, from Latin precārī, from precēs, pl. of *prex, prayer; see prek- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
praying
(ˈpreɪɪŋ)adj
(Ecclesiastical Terms) uttering prayers (to God or other object of worship)
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
Translations
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995