To speak to God or a deity in order to ask for something or give thanks and respect.
From Middle English prayen, derived from Old French preier, which came from Latin precari meaning 'to ask earnestly or beg.' The root is related to Latin prex meaning 'prayer' or 'petition.'
The word 'pray' originally meant to 'ask earnestly' before it became specifically religious—you can still hear that sense when someone says 'pray tell,' which just means 'please tell.' This shows how religious language sometimes borrows from the intensity of everyday human pleading.
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