collect

From Middle English collecte, from Ecclesiastical Latin collēcta (“assembly; collect”), originally designating the gathering at the beginning of a liturgical celebration.

der

He used the day's collect as the basis of his sermon.

Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer

(Christianity) The prayer said before the reading of the epistle lesson, especially one found in a prayerbook, as with the Book of Common Prayer.

resumpreĝo

prayer said before reading of the epistle lesson


Ave Maria

/ˈɑːveɪ̯ məˈɹiːə/

From Middle English Ave Maria, Ave Marie, Ave Mary(e), from Latin Avē Marīa.

Hail Mary (Catholic prayer, part of the rosary)


invocation

en-noun

invocation (countable and uncountable, plural invocations)

From Middle English invocacioun, from Old French invocacion, from Latin invocatio, invocationem.

The act or form of calling for the assistance or presence of some superior being, especially prayer offered to a divine being.


prayer

prayer (countable and uncountable, plural prayers)

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

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.


petition

From Middle English, borrowed from Old French peticiun, from stem of Latin petitio, petitionem (“a request, solicitation”), from petere (“to require, seek, go forward”).

der

A house of prayer and petition for thy people.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Maccabees 7:37:


Angelus

* (given name): From Latin Angelus and its etymon Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “angel”).
* (common noun): From the first word (angelus) of its Latin incipit, "Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ": "the Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary".

A male given name from Ancient Greek, of rare usage, variant of Angelo.


Gloria

/ˈɡlɔːɹ.ɪ.ə/

/ˈɡlɔːɹ.iː.ə/

From Latin gloria (“glory”), first used as a name in 19th-century literature.

Miss Flax, the little thin sister, and Miss Gloria, the stout able-bodied sister, lifted up their hands and eyes in horror at the mere hint of a wet nurse.

1835 October, Jacobus Flax: The Knickerbocker, page 291:

Crampton. […] What's your name? I mean your pet name. They can't very well call you Sophronia.
Gloria. Sophronia! My name is Gloria. I am always called by it.
Crampton. Your name is Sophronia, girl: you were called after your aunt Sophronia, my sister: she gave you your first Bible with your name written in it.
Gloria: Then my mother gave me a new name.

1898, George Bernard Shaw, You Never Can Tell, act II:

A female given name from Latin. Popular during the first half of the 20th century.


du'a'

en-noun

du'a' (countable and uncountable, plural du'a's)

From Arabic دُعَاء (duʕāʔ, “supplication”), from دَعَا (daʕā, “to summon”).

Ramy murmured a quiet du'a, and they traipsed through the gate.

2022, R. F. Kuang, Babel, Harper Voyager 2023, p. 251

(Islam) A prayer; (specifically), a private prayer by an individual.

duajë

(Islam) private prayer by an individual — see also prayer


salat

(Islam) The obligatory prayer that Muslims are called to perform five times a day.


anaphora

anaphora (countable and uncountable, plural anaphoras or anaphors or anaphora)

anaphoras (plural)
anaphors (plural)
anaphora (plural)

From Ancient Greek ἀναφορά (anaphorá, “a carrying back”), from ἀνά (aná, “up”) + φέρω (phérō, “I carry”).

bor

Meronyms: epiclesis, preface, Sanctus, sursum corda

(Christianity) The most solemn part of the Divine Liturgy or the Mass during which the offerings of bread and wine are consecrated as body and blood of Christ.


rosary

From Middle English rosarie, from Latin rosārium, here in its sense as a garland of roses. The coin usage referred to the laurel wreath appearing on the obverse bust, as opposed to the bare head on the pollard. Doublet of Rosario and rosarium.

psalter (150-bead rosary for use with the Psalms)

Prayer beads, a string of beads used to keep track of repetitions in prayer, particularly in the Roman Catholic Marian prayer "Hail Mary" (Ave Maria)

A Roman Catholic devotion involving the repetition of a series of Marian prayers, usually 5, 15, or 20 decades of "Hail Marys", each decade beginning with "Our Father" and ending with "Glory Be to the Father", but sometimes including other Roman Catholic, Anglican, or Lutheran prayers.


orison

From Middle English orisoun, from Anglo-Norman oreison, oresoun etc. and Old French oraisun etc., from Latin ōrātiō, ōrātiōnem (“discourse, prayer”) (whence also English oration).

der

The faire Ophelia! Nymph, in thy Orizons / Be all my ſinnes remembred.

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 265, column 2, lines 88–89:

"I hope," said a voice by her side, "your absent brother will not engross all your orisons."

1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXVII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 320:

1917, Wilfred Owen, Anthem for Doomed Youth
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.


requiescat

First word of the Latin phrase requiēscat in pāce (“may he/she rest in peace”). The Latin word requiēscat means "may he/she rest" and is a form of the Latin verb requiēscō (“I rest, I repose”).

A prayer for the peaceful repose of the soul of a dead person


dhikr

When all had eaten and prayed the first night prayer, they began to recite their dhikr, then they began the musical recital.

1958-1994, Hamilton Gibb & CF Beckingham, in The Travels of Ibn Battutah, Folio Society 2012, p. 62

We prayed together and we practised dhikr, the recitation of the ninety-nine revealed names of God.

(Islam) An Islamic prayer whereby a phrase or expression of praise is repeated continually.

ذِكْر

(Islam) an Islamic prayer whereby a phrase or expression of praise is repeated continually


Magnificat

Borrowed from Latin magnificat, the first word of the Latin version of the canticle.

(Christianity, music) The liturgical canticle of the Virgin Mary, sung in Christian churches; taken from her reported words upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth.


kyrie

/ˈkɪəɹ.ɪˌeɪ/

From Ecclesiastical Latin Kyrie, contraction of the Ancient Greek phrase Κύριε ἐλέησον (Kúrie eléēson, “Lord, have mercy”), from Ancient Greek Κύριε (Kúrie), vocative form of Κύριος (Kúrios, “Lord”), from κῦρος (kûros, “supremacy, authority”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱēw-, *ḱewh₁- (“to swell, spread out, be strong, prevail”).

(Christianity) A short prayer or petition including the phrase kyrie eleison, meaning “Lord, have mercy”.


prayer beads

A string of beads used by members of various religions to count prayers, chants or devotions.


paternoster

/ˈpɑtəɹˌnɔstɚ/

From Middle English paternoster, pater noster, from Old English Paternoster, from Latin Pater noster (“our father”) (the first two words of the Oratio Dominica (“the Lord's prayer”)), from pater (“father”) + noster (“our”). The lift and the fishing equipment are named from their resemblance to a rosary.

(Christianity) The Lord's Prayer, especially in a Roman Catholic context.


Lord's Prayer

He sat down in the middle of the floor, took his chalk out and marked a large ring around him, and round about this he wrote the Lord's Prayer, and then he did not feel afraid even if Old Nick himself should come.

1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 158:

The prayer which, according to the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus Christ taught his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount.

Onse Vader

the prayer taught by Jesus Christ to his disciples


rak'a

(Islam) A unit of Muslim prayer (salat).


Miserere

/mɪzəˈɹɛəɹi/

Borrowed from Latin miserēre (“have pity”), the first word of the psalm in that language.

bor+

One of the most impressive ceremonies of Holy Week is the chanting of the Miserere.

1845, J. T. Headley, Letters from Italy, page 130:

When someone did want to designate a short interval, the usual phrasing drew on religious vocabulary, calling up the duration of common prayers: the Paternoster, the Ave Maria, and the Miserere.

2004, Joyce E. Salisbury, The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life: 15th and 16th Centuries, →ISBN, page 132:

Psalm 50, the “Miserere,” was linked to the Passion of Christ by a peculiar story from the thirteenth century known as the “rood legend,” a popular history concerning the wood of the Cross. According to that legend, David had composed the “Miserere” as penance for his sins under the very tree that provided the wood for the Holy Cross.

2008, Lorenzo Candelaria, The Rosary Cantoral: Ritual and Social Design in a Chantbook from Early Renaissance Toledo, →ISBN, page 75:

The 51st Psalm (50th in the older Greek and Latin numbering), beginning “Have mercy upon me, O God …” in the King James Version; sometimes set to music.


Benedictus

From Ecclesiastical Latin benedictus (“blessed, praised”), from benedīcō (“I speak well (of)”).

bor

(Western Christianity) The Gospel canticle of Zechariah (Luke 1:68–79), with the incipit Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel (“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel”).

(Western Christianity) The second part of the Sanctus, beginning, Benedictus qui venit in nomine domini (“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”), and historically often sung as a separate piece of music.


Hail Mary

en-noun

Hail Mary (plural Hail Marys or Hail Maries)

Hail Marys (plural)
Hail Maries (plural)

“What did the priest, and all of you, keep on saying when we first went in?” / “Our Fathers, Hail Maries, and Glorias; couldn’t you hear?” asked Emily, laughing. / “No, I should think not, you rattled on so fast- What are Hail Maries and Glorias?” / “The Gloria you know well enough, my dear, because you say it in your church at the end of every psalm,” replied Miss Horton; “the Hail Mary is a prayer to our Blessed Lady,” and she repeated it.

1872, F. A., chapter V, in Marion Howard; or Trials and Triumphs, Philadelphia: Peter F. Cunningham, […], page 100:

And if I say ten Hail Marys / Leave a light on in Heaven for me

1987, Gary Clark (lyrics and music), “Mary's Prayer”, performed by Danny Wilson:

(Christianity) A prayer calling for the intercession of the Virgin Mary.


Jesus Prayer

The old monk tells him that the one prayer acceptable to God at all times, and 'desired' by God, is the Jesus Prayer—'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.' […]

1957, J. D. Salinger, "Zooey", in, 1961, Franny and Zooey, 1991 LB Books edition, page 111

(Christianity) A short formulaic prayer entreating mercy from Jesus Christ.


say grace

en-verb

say grace (third-person singular simple present says grace, present participle saying grace, simple past and past participle said grace)

says grace (present singular third-person)
saying grace (participle present)
said grace (participle past)
said grace (past)

(idiomatic) To recite a prayer of invocation or thanksgiving at meal time.


confiteor

From Latin cōnfiteor (“I confess”), the first word of the prayer and used as its title in Ecclesiastical Latin. Doublet of confess.

“Pugh!” she said. “You are disgusting! Go into the chapel now and say a confiteor each for your sin.”

1967, The Saturday Evening Post, volume 240, page 80:

(Christianity, chiefly Roman Catholicism) A prayer, typically beginning “I confess to Almighty God…” in English, in which public confession of sins is made.


Our Father

“What did the priest, and all of you, keep on saying when we first went in?” / “Our Fathers, Hail Maries, and Glorias; couldn’t you hear?” asked Emily, laughing.

"You are our Father as well as theirs. Permit us, for a short space, to meet in brotherhood, that we may have an added knowledge of that eternal life which awaits us, and so be helped during our years of waiting in this lower world." He ended with the "Our Father", in which we all joined.

1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

(Christianity) (Our Father) The Lord's Prayer, which begins with these words.


precation

en-noun

precation (countable and uncountable, plural precations)

The Litany […] was ordered to be sung immediately before High Mass, by the priests "with others of the choir" […] and this solemn form of precation, like so many other things, assumed the livery of uniformity.

1881, Richard Watson Dixon, History of the Church of England, volume 2, Routledge, page 431:

The full form of the precation was God give you a good even.

1893, Charles P. G. Scott, “English Words Which Hav Gaind or Lost an Initial Consonant by Attraction,”, in Transactions of the American Philological Association, volume 24, page 123:

The present inquiry therefore aims to pay more than lipservice to the notion of drama as performance, and to make more than a gesture towards the idea of theatre as a composite art, one that mixes music and mime, dance and song, painting and design, poetry and narrative, and much else. It is precation and response, and seeks out evidence of the manipulation of the audience and its powers of perception.

1996, J. L. Styan, The English Stage, →ISBN, pages xiii–xiv:

(rare) A prayer or act of praying; an earnest request.


pernoctate

en-verb

pernoctate (third-person singular simple present pernoctates, present participle pernoctating, simple past and past participle pernoctated)

pernoctates (present singular third-person)
pernoctating (participle present)
pernoctated (participle past)
pernoctated (past)

To stay up all night; to pass the night (especially in prayer).


asr

From Arabic عَصْر (ʕaṣr, “afternoon”), in صَلَاةُ العَصْر (ṣalātu al-ʕaṣr, “afternoon prayer”).


Te Deum

From the hymn's opening words, Te Deum laudamus ("Thee, O God, we praise").

Many of these actions […] further reverberated in public consciousness through the ceremonial celebration of Te Deums, religious rejoicings which were periodically commanded in every parish in the land to give collective thanks for the ruler's triumphs.

2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 3:

A religious service in which the singing of the hymn forms a principal part; a public thanksgiving.


om mani padme hum

From Sanskrit ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ, (oṃ maṇi padme hūm̐,, “the wish-fulfilling jewel in the lotus”), internally derived from मणि (maṇi, “wish-fulfilling jewel”) and पद्म (padma, “lotus”). ॐ (oṃ) and हूँ (hūm̐) are not translated.

bor

ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ,

(Buddhism) A mantra associated with Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, the primary mantra of Tibetan Buddhism.


Trisagion

en-noun

Trisagion (plural Trisagia or Trisagions)

From Medieval Latin trisagion, from Byzantine Greek τρισάγιον (triságion), from τρίς (trís, “thrice”) + ἅγιον (hágion, “holy”).

With these sure graces, while busy tongues are crying out for a drop of cold water, mutes may be in happiness, and sing the Trisagion in heaven.

1716, Thomas Browne, edited by Samuel Johnson, Christian Morals, 2nd edition, London: J. Payne, published 1756, Part I, p. 24:

Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity

(Christianity) A liturgical prayer that runs “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us” in English, typically sung before certain scriptural readings at Eucharistic liturgies in Eastern Christianity, and during the Good Friday Mass in the Roman Rite.


Sanctus

Borrowed from Latin sānctus (“holy”), the opening word of the prayer in that language. The prayer is taken from Isaiah 6:3 and Matthew 21:9. Doublet of saint.

A prayer in Christian liturgy, beginning “Holy, holy, holy …” and typically said or sung as a hymn shortly before the anaphora.


Tersanctus

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin tersānctus, from ter (“thrice”) + sānctus (“holy”).

bor+

The Trisagion (beginning “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal …”).


maghrib

From Arabic مَغْرِب (maḡrib, “west, sunset”), in صَلَاةُ اَلْمَغْرِب (ṣalātu l-maḡrib, “sunset prayer”).


dhuhr

From Arabic ظُهْر (ẓuhr, “noon”), in صَلَاة اَلظُّهْر (ṣalāt aẓ-ẓuhr, “noon prayer”).

Each afternoon – immediately following the dhuhur or midday prayers – he was summoned to Fatima's tent for a question-and-answer period.

1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin, published 2006, page 55:

It is 1999 and I am told that, as an employee of the nation of Islam, one of my duties is to supervise the female students of the college while they participate in Dhuhr.

2010, Kylie Sturgess, The Lay Scientist, The Guardian (online), 10 Nov 2010


dawn prayer

Calque of Arabic صَلَاةُ الْفَجْرِ (ṣalātu l-fajri)

calque

صَلَاةُ الْفَجْرِ

Ayesha relates that the Holy Prophet never omitted four raka'as before the noon prayer and two raka'as before the dawn Prayer.

1975, Nawawi, Gardens of the Righteous, Page 198

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) happened to pass by a person who was busy in praying while the (Fard of the) dawn prayer had commenced.

1990, Sahih Muslim, Being Traditions of the Sayings and Doings of the Prophet, book 4, number 1535

It is known with certainty that if someone prays one bowing of the dawn prayer before sunrise, and if someone prays one bowing of the afternoon prayer before sunset, then […]

2013, al-Shafii, The Epistle on Legal Theory, Page 239

(Islam) fajr, the first of the five daily prayers offered by practising Muslims.


evening prayer

– – has been set at two in the morning prayer, four in the midday prayer, four in the afternoon prayer, three in the sunset prayer, and four in the evening prayer.

2006, Vincent Cornell, Voices of Islam [5 Volumes], page 13:

(religion) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see evening, prayer.


tarawih

Borrowed from Arabic تَرَاوِيح (tarāwīḥ).

bor

Arabic تَرَاوِيح (tarāwīḥ)

(Islam) An extra prayer performed by Sunni Muslims at night in the month of Ramadan.


sandhya

Borrowed from Sanskrit संध्या (saṃdhyā, “twilight, twilight prayers”).

He did his sandhya in the mornings after he had his bath, put the red tilak on the foreheads of the gods and goddesses, said his prayers, prostrated before them and went off to work.

1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 103:


Nunc dimittis

Named after its incipit, Latin nunc dimittis (literally “now you dismiss”).

(Christianity, music) A canticle from a text in the second chapter of Luke in the Bible, often used as the final song in a religious service.


Benedicite

/ˌbɛnəˈdiːt͡ʃɪteɪ/

From Latin benedīcite, a plural imperative of benedīcō (“I bless, I praise”, literally “I say well [of]”).

But one or two, who nourished in their bosoms respect for the downfallen hierarchy—casting first a timorous glance around, to see that no one observed them—hastily crossed themselves—bent their knee to sister Magdalen, by which name they saluted her—kissed her hand, or even the hem of her dalmatique—received with humility the Benedicite with which she repaid their obeisance; […]

1820, [Walter Scott], chapter XIII, in The Abbot. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne & Co.] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and John Ballantyne, […], →OCLC, page 266:

A canticle, the Latin version of which begins with the word benedīcite (“praise ye!”), which may be used in the order for morning prayer in Roman Catholic and Anglican churches.


istikhara

اِسْتِخَارَة

Arabic اِسْتِخَارَة (istiḵāra)

(Islam) A prayer seeking guidance in making a decision.


shuckle

en-verb

shuckle (third-person singular simple present shuckles, present participle shuckling, simple past and past participle shuckled)

shuckles (present singular third-person)
shuckling (participle present)
shuckled (participle past)
shuckled (past)

From Yiddish שאָקלען (shoklen). Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skukkijaną.

(Judaism) To sway back and forth during Jewish prayer.


angelic salutation

en-noun

angelic salutation (plural angelic salutations)


reshut

bor

Hebrew רְשׁוּת

Arvit is a reshut (an optional prayer) and although it has become established and is now mandatory, the Amidah is not repeated by the Sheli'ah Tzibbur.

1996, Macy Nulman, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer, page 162:


Jai Shri Ram

Borrowed from Hindi जय श्री राम (jay śrī rām).

(Hinduism) "Victory to Lord Rama"; a salute or invocation towards the Hindu god Rama.

ജയ് ശ്രീ റാം

jayŭ śrī ṟāṁ


kavanah

The Gaon of Vilna (Ha-Gra) also opposed saying the formula Leshaym Yihud as well as Hineni mukhan umezuman ("Behold I am prepared and ready") since precepts do not require kavanah.

1996, Macy Nulman, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer, page 229:

(Judaism) Heartfelt intent during prayer, as opposed to roteness.


Exsultet

Borrowed from Latin exsultet (“let it [i.e., the angelic host] rejoice”), the first word of the prayer in the Roman Rite.

bor+

The Exsultet is the preeminent chant of cantor repertoire, both because of its difficulty and because of its importance in the liturgical year. Yet very few cantors have ever sung the Exsultet, or have seen printed music for it.

1997, Diana Kodner, Handbook for Cantors, 2nd edition, →ISBN, page 77:

(Western Christianity) A long prayer traditionally pronounced or sung at the Easter Vigil, beginning “Rejoice!” or “Exult!” in English.


Salve Regina

Borrowed from Latin salvē rēgīna (“hail, queen”), the opening of the prayer in that language.

The fifth remark is, that any person who cannot read or hear the Novena read, can make it by saying every day five Salve Reginas and five Ave Marias, saying first an act of contrition, and observing as far as possible the directions here given.

1852, A Novena in Honour of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel […], page 7:

(Roman Catholicism) A hymn to the Virgin Mary, one of the Marian antiphons, also prayed as part of the rosary.


Memorare

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin memorāre (“remember”, imperative), from the opening of the prayer in Latin, “Memorare, O piissima Virgo Maria …”.

With this in mind, the second part of the Memorare is the prayer of one who is aware of his or her sin and unworthiness and humbly seeks the mother’s mercy, prayers, and intercession.

2002, María Ruiz Scaperlanda, The Seeker’s Guide to Mary, →ISBN, page 157:

(Roman Catholicism) A prayer for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, beginning in English, “Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary …”


Har Har Mahadev

Borrowed from Hindi हर हर महादेव (har har mahādev), from Sanskrit हर हर महादेव (hara hara mahādeva).

bor

हर हर महादेव

der

हर हर महादेव

(Hinduism) a salute or invocation towards the Hindu god Shiva, the god of destruction and time.


hashkama

(Judaism) An early-morning prayer service.