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prayer

Pronunciation: /prɛː/
Translate prayer | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of prayer

noun

  • a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or another deity:I’ll say a prayer for him [mass noun]:the peace of God is ours through prayer
  • (prayers) a religious service, especially a regular one, at which people gather in order to pray together:500 people were detained as they attended Friday prayers
  • an earnest hope or wish:it is our prayer that the current progress on human rights will be sustained

Phrases

not have a prayer

informal have no chance at all of succeeding at something.

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French preiere, based on Latin precarius 'obtained by entreaty', from prex, prec- 'prayer'

prayer in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of prayer in the US English dictionary

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