pray

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• prā
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• /pɹeɪ/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -eɪ
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• homophone: prey
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• CMU ARPABET: P R EY1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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Ellipsis of I pray you, I pray thee, whence also prithee.

* As an Irish surname, variant of Prey, from ó Préith, a personal name from Old Irish. * As an English surname, borrowed (via Middle English) from French pré (“meadow”).

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- Proto-Italic *preks Latin prex Latin precārī Late Latin precāre Old French proiier Anglo-Norman preierbor. Middle English preien English pray Inherited from Middle English preien, borrowed from Anglo-Norman preier, from Old French proiier, from Late Latin precāre, from Latin precārī, from prex (“request, petition, prayer”), from Proto-Italic *preks, from Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- (“to request, ask”). Displaced native Old English gebiddan. Cognate via Indo-European of Old English frignan, fricgan, German fragen, Dutch vragen. Compare deprecate, imprecate, precarious.

305 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Afrikaans: bid — to petition a higher being
• Ahom: 𑜈𑜩𑜨 (bayo) — to petition a higher being
• Albanian: lutem — to petition a higher being
• Albanian: lutje — to petition a higher being
• Southern Altai: сурап јайнаар (surap ǰaynaar) — to petition a higher being
• Southern Altai: јалбарар (ǰalbarar) — to petition a higher being
• Amharic: ጸለየ (ṣäläyä) — to petition a higher being
• Chungli Ao: sarasadem — to petition a higher being
• Arabic: صَلَّى (ṣallā) — to petition a higher being
• Arabic: دَعَا (daʕā) — to petition a higher being
• Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܨܲܠܹܐ (ṣāle) — to petition a higher being
• Aramaic: ܨܠܝ (ṣalé) — to petition a higher being
• Armenian: աղոթել (aġotʻel) — to petition a higher being
• Aromanian: angrec — to petition a higher being
• Aromanian: ngrec — to petition a higher being
• Aromanian: or — to petition a higher being
• Aromanian: auredz — to petition a higher being
• Aromanian: pricad — to petition a higher being
• Aromanian: rog — to petition a higher being
• Aromanian: pãlãcãrsescu — to petition a higher being
• Aromanian: pãrãcãlsescu — to petition a higher being
• Aromanian: ncljin — to petition a higher being
• Azerbaijani: dua etmək — to petition a higher being
• Basque: otoitz egin — to petition a higher being
• Basque: otoiztu — to petition a higher being
• Belarusian: малі́цца (malícca) — to petition a higher being
• Belarusian: памалі́цца (pamalícca) — to petition a higher being
• Bengali: প্রার্থনা করা (prarthona kora) — to petition a higher being
• Bau Bidayuh: bidoa — to petition a higher being
• Central Bikol: pangadyi — to petition a higher being
• Eastern Bontoc: monlowaro — to petition a higher being
• Bulgarian: мо́ля се (mólja se) — to petition a higher being
• Burmese: ပူဇော် (pujau) — to petition a higher being
• Burmese: ကိုးကွယ် (kui:kwai) — to petition a higher being
• Burmese: ရှိခိုး (hri.hkui:) — to petition a higher being
• Catalan: pregar — to petition a higher being
• Catalan: resar — to petition a higher being
• Cherokee: ᎠᏓᏙᎵᏍᏗᎭ (adadolisdiha) — to petition a higher being
• Chinese Cantonese: 祈禱 /祈祷 (kei4 tou2) — to petition a higher being
• Hakka Chinese: 祈禱 /祈祷 (khì-tó) — to petition a higher being
• Chinese: 祈禱 /祈祷 (zh-min-nan) — to petition a higher being
• Chinese Mandarin: 祈禱 /祈祷 (qídǎo) — to petition a higher being
• Chinese Mandarin: 禱告 /祷告 (dǎogào) — to petition a higher being
• Coptic: ϣⲗⲏⲗ (šlēl) — to petition a higher being
• Czech: modlit se — to petition a higher being
• Danish: bede — to petition a higher being
• Danish: tilbede — to petition a higher being
• Dutch: bidden — to petition a higher being
• Elfdalian: biða — to petition a higher being
• Esperanto: preĝi — to petition a higher being
• Estonian: palvetama — to petition a higher being
• Farefare: pʋ'ʋsɛ — to petition a higher being
• Faroese: biðja — to petition a higher being
• Finnish: rukoilla — to petition a higher being
• Finnish: anoa — to petition a higher being
• Finnish: pyytää — to petition a higher being
• French: prier — to petition a higher being
• Friulian: preâ — to petition a higher being
• Galician: rezar — to petition a higher being
• Georgian: ლოცვა (locva) — to petition a higher being
• German: beten — to petition a higher being
• Gothic: 𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bidjan) — to petition a higher being
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍂𐍉𐌽 (aihtrōn) — to petition a higher being
• Greek: προσεύχομαι (proséfchomai) — to petition a higher being
• Ancient Greek: εὔχομαι (eúkhomai) — to petition a higher being
• Greenlandic: qinuvoq — to petition a higher being
• Mbya Guarani: nhembo'e — to petition a higher being
• Hawaiian: pule — to petition a higher being
• Hebrew: הִתְפַּלֵּל (hitpalél) — to petition a higher being
• Hindi: प्रार्थना करना (prārthanā karnā) — to petition a higher being
• Hungarian: imádkozik — to petition a higher being
• Icelandic: biðja — to petition a higher being
• Ilocano: agkararag — to petition a higher being
• Indonesian: berdoa — to petition a higher being
• Ingrian: kyssyä — to petition a higher being
• Ingrian: rukoella — to petition a higher being
• Irish: guigh — to petition a higher being
• Old Irish: guidid — to petition a higher being
• Istriot: pragà — to petition a higher being
• Italian: pregare — to petition a higher being
• Italian: orare — to petition a higher being
• Japanese: 祈る (inoru) — to petition a higher being
• Japanese: 祈祷する (kitō suru) — to petition a higher being
• Japanese: 祈願する (kigan suru) — to petition a higher being
• Japanese: 祭る (matsuru) — to petition a higher being
• Judeo-Italian: אוּרַארֵי — to petition a higher being
• Southern Kalinga: malluwaru — to petition a higher being
• Kankanaey: lowalo — to petition a higher being
• Kankanaey: kalalag — to petition a higher being
• Kankanaey: boyag — to petition a higher being
• Kankanaey: sos-owa — to petition a higher being
• Kapampangan: mangadi — to petition a higher being
• Kazakh: дұға оқу (dūğa oqu) — to petition a higher being
• Kazakh: намаз оқу (namaz oqu) — to petition a higher being
• Khmer: អធិដ្ឋាន (a’thi’thaan) — to petition a higher being
• Kongo: kusambila — to petition a higher being
• Korean: 빌다 (bilda) — to petition a higher being
• Korean: 기도하다 (gidohada) — to petition a higher being
• Northern Kurdish: diʼa kirin — to petition a higher being
• Kyrgyz: дуба кылуу (duba kıluu) — to petition a higher being
• Kyrgyz: намаз окуу (namaz okuu) — to petition a higher being
• Ladin: prië — to petition a higher being
• Lao: ອະທິຖານ (ʼa thi thān) — to petition a higher being
• Lao: ສວດ (sūat) — to petition a higher being
• Lao: ສວດມົນ (sūat mon) — to petition a higher being
• Latin: ōrō — to petition a higher being
• Latin: precor — to petition a higher being
• Latvian: lūgt — to petition a higher being
• Ligurian: pregâ — to petition a higher being
• Lithuanian: maldauti — to petition a higher being
• Lombard: pregà — to petition a higher being
• Lutuv: thlaachuo — to petition a higher being
• Luxembourgish: bieden — to petition a higher being
• Macedonian: моли се (moli se) — to petition a higher being
• Malay: berdoa — to petition a higher being
• Maltese: talab — to petition a higher being
• Māori: inoi — to petition a higher being
• Mongolian: мөргөх (mörgöx) — to petition a higher being
• Mongolian: залбирах (zalbirax) — to petition a higher being
• Navajo: sodilzin — to petition a higher being
• Norman: prier — to petition a higher being
• Norwegian Bokmål: be — to petition a higher being
• Norwegian Nynorsk: be — to petition a higher being
• Old Church Slavonic: молити сѧ (moliti sę) — to petition a higher being
• Old East Slavic: молити сѧ (moliti sę) — to petition a higher being
• Old English: ġebiddan — to petition a higher being
• Persian: دعا کردن (do'â kardan) — to petition a higher being
• Persian: نیایش (niyâyeš) — to petition a higher being
• Persian: عبادت کردن ('ebâdat kardan) — to petition a higher being
• Polish: modlić się — to petition a higher being
• Polish: pomodlić się — to petition a higher being
• Portuguese: rezar — to petition a higher being
• Portuguese: orar — to petition a higher being
• Portuguese: pregar — to petition a higher being
• Romanian: ruga — to petition a higher being
• Romanian: închina — to petition a higher being
• Romansh: urar — to petition a higher being
• Russian: моли́ться (molítʹsja) — to petition a higher being
• Russian: помоли́ться (pomolítʹsja) — to petition a higher being
• Northern Sami: rohkadallat — to petition a higher being
• Sango: sambela — to petition a higher being
• Scottish Gaelic: dèan ùrnaigh — to petition a higher being
• Scottish Gaelic: guidh — to petition a higher being
• Serbo-Croatian: молити се — to petition a higher being
• Serbo-Croatian: moliti se — to petition a higher being
• Shan: ယွၼ်းသူး (yáun súu) — to petition a higher being
• Shan: သူးတွင်း (súu táung) — to petition a higher being
• Slovak: modliť sa — to petition a higher being
• Slovene: moliti se — to petition a higher being
• Lower Sorbian: bjatowaś — to petition a higher being
• Lower Sorbian: módliś se — to petition a higher being
• Upper Sorbian: modlić so — to petition a higher being
• Sotho: rapela — to petition a higher being
• Spanish: rezar — to petition a higher being
• Spanish: orar — to petition a higher being
• Swahili: kusali — to petition a higher being
• Swedish: be — to petition a higher being
• Tagalog: manalangin — to petition a higher being
• Tagalog: magdasal — to petition a higher being
• Tagalog: ipagdasal — to petition a higher being
• Tagalog: ipanalangin — to petition a higher being
• Tai Dam: ꪼꪪ꫁ꪫꪮꪙ — to petition a higher being
• Tai Dam: ꪵꪒ꪿ꪎꪷ — to petition a higher being
• Tajik: дуъо кардан (du'o kardan) — to petition a higher being
• Tajik: ибодат кардан (ibodat kardan) — to petition a higher being
• Tajik: дуо хондан (duo xondan) — to petition a higher being
• Tamil: வேண்டு (vēṇṭu) — to petition a higher being
• Tamil: பிரார்த்தி (pirārtti) — to petition a higher being
• Thai: สวด (sùuat) — to petition a higher being
• Thai: อธิษฐาน (à-tít-tǎan) — to petition a higher being
• Thai: สวดมนต์ (sùuat-mon) — to petition a higher being
• Northern Thai: ᩋᨵᩥᨭᩛᩣ᩠ᨶ — to petition a higher being
• Tibetan: ཁ་ཏོན (kha ton) — to petition a higher being
• Tibetan: ཁ་ཏོན་བྱེད་པ (kha ton byed pa) — to petition a higher being
• Tibetan: ཁ་འདོན་བྱེད་པ (kha 'don byed pa) — to petition a higher being
• Tibetan: སྨོན་ལམ་འདེབས་པ (smon lam 'debs pa) — to petition a higher being
• Turkish: dua etmek — to petition a higher being
• Ottoman Turkish: دعا ایتمك (duʼâ etmek) — to petition a higher being
• Ottoman Turkish: عبادت ایتمك (ʼibâdet etmek) — to petition a higher being
• Turkmen: doga okamak — to petition a higher being
• Ukrainian: моли́тися (molýtysja) — to petition a higher being
• Ukrainian: помоли́тися (pomolýtysja) — to petition a higher being
• Unami: patama — to petition a higher being
• Urdu: عبادت کرنا ('ibādat karnā) — to petition a higher being
• Uzbek: duo qilmoq — to petition a higher being
• Venetan: pregar — to petition a higher being
• Vietnamese: cầu nguyện — to petition a higher being
• Vilamovian: baota — to petition a higher being
• Walloon: priyî — to petition a higher being
• Welsh: gweddïo — to petition a higher being
• Yiddish: בעטן (betn) — to petition a higher being
• Yiddish: דאַוונען (davnen) — to petition a higher being
• Zazaki: dua kerden — to petition a higher being
• Afrikaans: smeek — to beg humbly for aid
• Ahom: 𑜈𑜩𑜨 (bayo) — to beg humbly for aid
• Armenian: աղաչել (aġačʻel) — to beg humbly for aid
• Bulgarian: моля (molja) — to beg humbly for aid
• Catalan: pregar — to beg humbly for aid
• Chinese Mandarin: 乞求 (qǐqiú) — to beg humbly for aid
• Czech: pěkně prosit — to beg humbly for aid
• Danish: bede — to beg humbly for aid
• Dutch: smeken — to beg humbly for aid
• Finnish: rukoilla — to beg humbly for aid
• Finnish: anoa — to beg humbly for aid
• Georgian: ვედრება (vedreba) — to beg humbly for aid
• German: bitten — to beg humbly for aid
• German: erbitten — to beg humbly for aid
• Icelandic: biðja — to beg humbly for aid
• Icelandic: bæna — to beg humbly for aid
• Ingrian: kyssyä — to beg humbly for aid
• Ingrian: rukoella — to beg humbly for aid
• Japanese: 願う (negau) — to beg humbly for aid
• Japanese: 請う (kou) — to beg humbly for aid
• Japanese: 嘆願する (tangan suru) — to beg humbly for aid
• Jarai: kơwưh — to beg humbly for aid
• Māori: minono — to beg humbly for aid
• Polish: błagać — to beg humbly for aid
• Portuguese: rogar — to beg humbly for aid
• Romanian: ruga — to beg humbly for aid
• Russian: моли́ть (molítʹ) — to beg humbly for aid
• Russian: помоли́ть (pomolítʹ) — to beg humbly for aid
• Shan: ယွၼ်းသူး (yáun súu) — to beg humbly for aid
• Spanish: rogar — to beg humbly for aid
• Swahili: sali — to beg humbly for aid
• Swedish: bönfalla — to beg humbly for aid
• Swedish: be — to beg humbly for aid
• Thai: อ้อนวอน (ônwon) — to beg humbly for aid
• Yiddish: בעטן (betn) — to beg humbly for aid
• Zazaki: bımbarek (diq) — to beg humbly for aid
• Afrikaans: bid — to talk to God
• Ahom: 𑜈𑜩𑜨 (bayo) — to talk to God
• Arabic: صَلَّى (ṣallā) — to talk to God
• Arabic: دَعَا (daʕā) — to talk to God
• Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܨܲܠܹܐ (ṣāle) — to talk to God
• Armenian: աղոթել (aġotʻel) — to talk to God
• Central Bikol: pangadyi — to talk to God
• Burmese: ကိုးကွယ် (kui:kwai) — to talk to God
• Catalan: pregar — to talk to God
• Chinese Cantonese: 祈禱 /祈祷 (kei4 tou2) — to talk to God
• Hakka Chinese: 祈禱 /祈祷 (khì-tó) — to talk to God
• Chinese: 祈禱 /祈祷 (zh-min-nan) — to talk to God
• Chinese Mandarin: 祈禱 /祈祷 (qídǎo) — to talk to God
• Chinese Mandarin: 禱告 /祷告 (dǎogào) — to talk to God
• Czech: modlit se — to talk to God
• Danish: bede — to talk to God
• Dutch: bidden — to talk to God
• Esperanto: preĝi — to talk to God
• Faroese: biðja — to talk to God
• Finnish: rukoilla — to talk to God
• French: prier — to talk to God
• West-Frisian: beade — to talk to God
• Georgian: ლოცვა (locva) — to talk to God
• German: beten — to talk to God
• Gothic: 𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bidjan) — to talk to God
• Greek: προσεύχομαι (proséfchomai) — to talk to God
• Hebrew: התפלל (hitpalél) — to talk to God
• Hindi: प्रार्थना करना (prārthanā karnā) — to talk to God
• Hungarian: imádkozik — to talk to God
• Icelandic: biðja — to talk to God
• Indonesian: berdoa — to talk to God
• Ingrian: kyssyä — to talk to God
• Ingrian: rukoella — to talk to God
• Irish: guigh — to talk to God
• Old Irish: guidid — to talk to God
• Italian: pregare — to talk to God
• Japanese: 祈る (inoru) — to talk to God
• Kazakh: сиыну (siynu) — to talk to God
• Korean: 빌다 (bilda) — to talk to God
• Northern Kurdish: nimêj kirin — to talk to God
• Ladin: prië — to talk to God
• Latin: precor — to talk to God
• Malay: sembah — to talk to God
• Malay: sembahyang — to talk to God
• Māori: inoi — to talk to God
• Norman: prier — to talk to God
• Norwegian: be — to talk to God
• Old Church Slavonic: молити (moliti) — to talk to God
• Old English: ġebiddan — to talk to God
• Persian: نیایش (niyâyeš) — to talk to God
• Persian: عبادت کردن ('ebâdat kardan) — to talk to God
• Persian: نماز خواندن (namâz xwândan) — to talk to God
• Polish: modlić się — to talk to God
• Portuguese: rezar — to talk to God
• Portuguese: orar — to talk to God
• Romanian: ruga — to talk to God
• Russian: моли́ться (molítʹsja) — to talk to God
• Russian: помоли́ться (pomolítʹsja) — to talk to God
• Slovene: moliti — to talk to God
• Sotho: rapela — to talk to God
• Spanish: orar — to talk to God
• Spanish: rogar — to talk to God
• Spanish: rezar — to talk to God
• Swahili: sali — to talk to God
• Swedish: bedja — to talk to God
• Swedish: be — to talk to God
• Telugu: ప్రార్థించు (prārthiñcu) — to talk to God
• Thai: เคารพบูชา (kaoróp boochaa) — to talk to God
• Turkish: Hüda'ya dua etmek — to talk to God
• Ottoman Turkish: عبادت ایتمك (ʼibâdet etmek) — to talk to God
• Vietnamese: cầu — to talk to God
• Vietnamese: cầu nguyện — to talk to God
• Yiddish: בעטן גאָט (betn got) — to talk to God
• Zazaki: mehebet — to talk to God
• Zazaki: nemaz kerden — to talk to God
• Zazaki: niyaz — to talk to God