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prayer

prayer

187 1.7
A set of words said during a religious service
  • noun
  • /ˈprɛər/
translation icon : oración
  • Please join me in the invocation, a prayer of the Ojibwe nation.
  • prayer book
  • Lord's prayer
  • common prayer

And before every book, say a little prayer and the prayer goes like this.

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Examples

  • During the service, the priest led the congregation in a prayer for peace and guidance.

  • Please join us now in the Invocation, a prayer of the Ojibwe Nation.

  • And before every book, say a little prayer and the prayer goes like this.

  • Have you ever heard of the prayer of the dead?

  • And this is actually a prayer of Moses.

  • You will remember to say your morning and evening prayers and write to me every week.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Turn your face toward the holy place of prayer; wherever you find yourselves, turn your face in that direction.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Let us repeat the Lord's Prayer.

  • There is a tradition of prayer for unity and peace in Catholic and various Protestant churches.

    Academic text (2015)
  • It's a family prayer.

Synonyms

benediction
vsprayer
12 8.1

A short prayer asking for God's help at the end of a service

is an established recited text used throughout services not only closing blessings
invocation
vsprayer
  • Formal
9 7.4

A short prayer asking for help or blessing at the start of a service

is an established recited text used in services rather than only opening requests
supplication
vsprayer
  • Formal
8 8.7

A humble request for help from someone in power or from God

is an established recited text rather than a personal or direct plea
Lord's Prayer
vsprayer
8 2.9

A Christian prayer taught by Jesus that begins with "Our Father"

is an established recited text used in services rather than one named example

Idioms

5 8.4

Have no chance of success

To be very unlikely to succeed

Compounds

A religious meeting where people talk to God and sing songs

A Christian prayer taught by Jesus that begins with "Our Father"

7 2.6

A book of religious words people read to speak to God

A time when people gather to pray and sing together often in a church

morning prayer
  • Specialized
4 5.0

A short prayer service at dawn in a church

3 7.1

A rectangular cloth with knotted strings on the corners that Jewish people wear during morning prayers

3 3.5

A string of small round objects that people use to count religious words

2 2.9

A small carpet that Muslims kneel on during prayer

2 2.5

A small rug Muslims kneel on when they pray

1 7.8

An official service book used in Church of England worship with formal and beautiful language

A building where people meet to pray together

1 8.6

A small cylinder with prayers inside that people spin in Tibetan Buddhist prayer

1 8.7

A daily evening service in the Church of England for prayers and readings

A wanted result that happens after someone prays or hopes

7.1

A short prayer said at midday as part of daily worship

A section added to the Book of Daniel containing a prayer and a song by three young men

A religious passage added to the Book of Daniel that contains a prayer and a song by three children

How Fixed

liturgy
26 8.9
litany
  • Formal
5 8.7
prayer
187 1.7
collect
  • Specialized
36 9.9

Surface Forms

prayer singular
prayers plural

Morphology

prayer = pray (opaque) = pray + er

The connection to 'pray' is clear, but the specialized meaning 'a fixed recited text' is not fully predictable from the morphemes.

Etymology

The word prayer comes from the old Latin verb precari, meaning 'to ask', and over time it also came to mean the actual words people use when they ask. So a prayer can be a set of words learned and said during a religious service.