prayer

Definitions of Prayer

1. (noun) A request or wish made to a supernatural being or power.
2. (noun) Communicating with supernatural beings or power.

Examples of Prayer

• Definition 1:
  • A requiescat, a prayer for the soul of a dead person such as rest in peace (R.I.P.).
• Definition 2:
  • Bhakti, a devotional prayer in Buddhism and Hinduism.

Prayer Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: prayer

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /ˈprɛ(ə)r/
• British English – /ˈprɛː/

Usage Notes

• Plural: prayers
• A (noun) prayer (verb) prays a (noun) prayer.

Additional Information

• Religion Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Word origin of “prayer” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com

Related Terms

• atheism
• belief
• monotheism
• mythology
• personified supernatural force
• polytheism
• religion
• supernatural
• value
• worldview

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Works Consulted

Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Princeton University. 2010. WordNet. (https://wordnet.princeton.edu/).

Random House Webster’s College Dictionary. 1997. New York: Random House.

Tischler, Henry L. 2011. Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).

Cite the Definition of Prayer

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “prayer.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved September 17, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/prayer/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

prayer. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/prayer/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “prayer.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed September 17, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/prayer/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“prayer.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 17 Sep. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/prayer/>.