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prayer

1
[ prair ]
/ prɛər /
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See synonyms for: prayer / prayers on Thesaurus.com

noun

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Where Does The Phrase "Thoughts And Prayers" Come From?

When tragedies happen, social media fills up with thoughts and prayers. So, how did this phrase get so popular?

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Origin of prayer

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English preier(e), preire, from Old French priiere, preiere, from Medieval Latin precāria, noun use of feminine of precārius “given as a favor, obtained by entreaty,” equivalent to prec- (stem of prex ) “prayer, supplication” + -ārius -ary; cf. precarious

OTHER WORDS FROM prayer

prayerless, adjectiveprayer·less·ly, adverbprayer·less·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH prayer

pray, prayer , prey

Other definitions for prayer (2 of 2)

prayer2
[ prey-er ]
/ ˈpreɪ ər /

noun
a person who prays.

Origin of prayer

2
First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English preier(e), preyare; see origin at pray;see also -er1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use prayer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for prayer (1 of 2)

prayer1
/ (prɛə) /

noun

Derived forms of prayer

prayerless, adjective

Word Origin for prayer

C13 preiere, from Old French, from Medieval Latin precāria, from Latin precārius obtained by begging, from prex prayer

British Dictionary definitions for prayer (2 of 2)

prayer2
/ (ˈpreɪə) /

noun
a person who prays
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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