precatory

American  

[prek-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˈprɛk əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

Also precative

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, characterized by, or expressing entreaty or supplication.

   precatory overtures.

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precatory British  

/ ˈprɛkətərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

1. Also: precative.  rare of, involving, or expressing entreaty; supplicatory

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Etymology

Origin of precatory

1630–40; < Late Latin precātōrius, equivalent to Latin precā ( rī ) to pray, entreat + -tōrius -tory ¹

Explanation

Anything that's precatory has something to do with hoping or wishing for something, rather than requiring it. If your school's dress code is precatory, it's more of a suggestion than a hard and fast rule. Precatory is a formal (and rare) adjective that means "entreating" or "requesting." A precatory list of school supplies, for example, would be things the teacher hopes each student will bring on the first day, rather than required items. You're more likely to find this word in legal documents, especially wills, where it distinguishes something legally binding from something simply expressing a hope: "The provision made for care of her seventeen cats by her niece is merely precatory."

Example Sentences

As a so-called precatory proposal, it is not legally binding on the company.

From New York Times • Mar. 1, 2014

It was precatory, and merely expressed her wish that her pictures stay in the museum�or be sold or loaned to other museums.

From Time Magazine Archive

Before long the precatory form of absolution is replaced by the indicative form by which the priest declared the sinner absolved.

From The Church and the Empire, Being an Outline of the History of the Church from A.D. 1003 to A.D. 1304 by Medley, D. J. (Dudley Julius)

Still this sense has pleased the editors, and they have made "of goodnesse" a precatory and interjectional expression.

From Notes and Queries, Number 207, October 15, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by Bell, George

The latter part of the Absolution is taken from the ancient Office, and is declaratory, the first clause being precatory.

From The Church Handy Dictionary by Anonymous