precatory

[ prek-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]

/ ˈprɛk əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

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adjective

of, pertaining to, characterized by, or expressing entreaty or supplication: precatory overtures.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Also prec·a·tive

[prek-uh-tiv]. /ˈprɛk ə tɪv/.

Origin of precatory

1630–40; <Late Latin precātōrius, equivalent to Latin precā(rī) to pray, entreat + -tōrius-tory¹

Words nearby precatory

precariat, precarious, precariously, precarity, precast, precatory, precaution, precautionary, precautionary principle, precautious, precava

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use precatory in a sentence

Still this sense has pleased the editors, and they have made "of goodnesse" a precatory and interjectional expression.
Notes and Queries, Number 207, October 15, 1853|Various
The primitive forms of absolution, when confession was made to a priest, were precatory rather than declaratory.
The Expositor's Bible:|Alfred Plummer
The original form of absolution was “precatory rather than declaratory” (Plummer).
Studies in the Epistle of James|A. T. Robertson
For this reason, recommendatory or precatory words used in a bequest are frequently treated as an express direction.
History of Woman Suffrage, Volume III (of III)|Various

She got as far as Mattaincourt, sending fresh precatory letters to faithless Charles.
Odd Bits of History|Henry W. Wolff

British Dictionary definitions for precatory

precatory

/ (ˈprɛkətərɪ, -trɪ) /

adjective

rare of, involving, or expressing entreaty; supplicatoryAlso: precative (ˈprɛkətɪv)

Word Origin for precatory

C17: from Late Latin precātōrius relating to petitions, from Latin precārī to beg, pray

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