prayer

Through prayer I ask for God's guidance.

In many cultures, prayer involves singing.

(uncountable) A practice of communicating with one's God, or with some spiritual entity.

Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, […], down the nave to the western door. […] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer.

1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

In that spirit, we’ll close with the wish we always offer at the end of our annual review, although this time it’s more of a prayer: Happy new year.

2020 December, Dave Barry, Year in review:

Christians recite the Lord's Prayer.

For Baha'is there's a difference between obligatory and devotional prayer.

The specific words or methods used for praying.

Grandpa never misses a chance to go to prayer.

A meeting held for the express purpose of praying.

This, your honor, is my prayer; that all here be set free.

That team doesn't have a prayer of winning the championship.

(in the singular, mostly in negative constructions) The remotest hope or chance.

en-noun

prayer (countable and uncountable, plural prayers)

gebed

the specific words or methods used for praying

gebedsontmoeting

a meeting held for the express purpose of praying

From Middle English preiere, from Old French preiere, from Early Medieval Latin precāria, derived from Latin precem. Displaced native Old English ġebed.


prayer

If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar / A hope-er^([sic]), a pray-er^([sic]), a magic bean buyer…

1974, Shel Silverstein, “Invitation”, in Where the Sidewalk Ends, Harper Collins Publishers:

Out of the 37 respondents, seven are infrequent prayers who prefer to leave the precise details of their prayer life ambiguous.

2012, Paul O'Connor, Islam in Hong Kong: Muslims and Everyday Life in China's World City: