prayern.1
/prɛː/, U.S. /prɛ(ə)r/ 1.
a. A solemn request to God, a god, or other object of worship; a supplication or thanksgiving addressed to God or a god.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > prayer > [noun] > a prayer
boonc1175
orisona1225
prayerc1300
prayc1330
petition?a1400
orationc1440
supplicationc1443
oratioa1586
vote1619
society > faith > worship > prayer > [noun] > action of or offering of
bidding of prayersc1175
orison?c1250
bidding1297
prayerc1300
beads biddinga1325
sacrificec1595
presentation1597
pray1654
davening1947
c1300 St. Vincent (Laud) 132 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 188 (MED) His preiere he dude to ore louerd crist.
c1330 Body & Soul (Auch.) (1889) 52 (MED) No seynt no may bere our ernd..Of sum prayer to don ous bot.
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Psalms liv. 1 God, here thou my preier.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 1483 Putt þam to prayris, & penaunce enduris.
1529 T. More Dialogue Heresyes i, in Wks. 165/1 And so would I..knele me downe and make my speciall prayour to God.
1595 E. Spenser Colin Clouts come Home Againe sig. Ev With praiers lowd importuning the skie.
1633 G. Herbert Temple: Sacred Poems 14 Resort to sermons, but to prayers most.
1670 I. Walton Life G. Herbert 70 in Lives [They] did at Night..betake themselves to prayers, and lauding God.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 106 This was the first Prayer, if I may call it so, that I had made for many Years.
1788 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall VI. lviii. 2 His [sc. Peter the Hermit's] diet was abstemious, his prayers long and fervent.
1813 J. Forbes Oriental Mem. III. xxx. 125 Ablutions, called the wazzoo, preparatory to the namauz, or prayer.
1898 H. G. Wells War of Worlds ii. iv. 234 I whispered passionate prayers for safety.
1942 E. Paul Narrow Street i. 2 While it was still dark she slunk over to the church of St. Séverin for an early morning prayer.
1996 R. Mistry Fine Balance (1997) xiv. 505 The pujari will perform the prayers.
b. The action, act, or practice of praying.
ΚΠ
c1350 Apocalypse St. John: A Version (Harl. 874) (1961) 97 (MED) Holy Men þat ben in erþe, þorouȝ..praiers [Fr. oreisuns] fordon þe tribulaciouns þat þe fende sendeþ sumtyme in holy chirche.
c1380 G. Chaucer Second Nun's Tale 125 She neuere cessed..Of hir prayere, and god to loue and drede, Bisekyng hym to kepe hir maydenhede.
?c1430 (c1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 76 Preiere stondiþ principaly in good lif.
a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) 11393 (MED) Lat ther occupacioun Ben in contemplacioun, In deuocioun, & prayere.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke vi. f. lxxxijv He..continued all nyght in prayer to god.
1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 ii. i. 156 He is famde for mildnesse, peace and praier.
1649 Bp. J. Taylor Great Exemplar ii. 142 Prayer is the ascent of the mind to God.
1692 W. Wotton tr. L. E. Du Pin New Hist. Eccl. Writers I. 94/2 Several of the Faithful, continued in Prayer and Fasting, till Three a Clock in the Afternoon.
1748 J. Wesley Let. 10 Feb. (1931) II. 122 That preaching or prayer which is not done by the actings and movings of God's Spirit cannot beget faith.
1796 Hull Advertiser 23 July 4/2 The woman..continued some time in silent meditation or prayer.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Morte d'Arthur in Poems (new ed.) II. 15 More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of.
1892 E. Reeves Homeward Bound 224 At 9 p.m. a Moor ascends to the top of the mosque tower and calls the hour of prayer.
1948 W. S. Maugham Catalina viii The reward of prayer, fasting, mortification and a life devoted to the service of God.
1999 J. Elliot Unexpected Light (2000) xi. 414 He mentioned the men who had brought their guns and strange form of prayer to the shrine.
c. In plural. Requests to God or a god to bless and protect someone; (hence) sincere good wishes.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous act or expression > [noun] > good wishes
best wishes1595
wish1597
prayers1600
welfare1642
best1922
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iv. i. 14 And concludes in hearty prayers, That your attempts may ouer-liue the hazard. View more context for this quotation
a1640 P. Massinger City-Madam (1658) i. i. 123 For it you have my prayers, The beggars satisfaction.
1722 R. Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 664 You have our prayers here.
1761 F. Sheridan Mem. Miss Sidney Bidulph II. 45 He shall have both [forgiveness and blessing], said my good mother, and my prayers too.
1807 R. Tannahill Soldier's Return 64 I smile at your low, trifling gaits, And could heartily lend you my pray'rs.
1864 Ld. Tennyson Aylmer's Field in Enoch Arden, etc. 90 Give me your prayers, for he is past your prayers.
1915 W. S. Maugham Of Human Bondage lxxxviii. 459 ‘I'm going to church... There's nothing you'll be wanting, is there?’ ‘Only your prayers, my Betty.’
1949 Z. A. bin Ahmad in J. M. Gullick They came to Malaya (1993) 169 On both Hari Rayas, all Muslims and Malays in particular, make it a point to visit their parents and religious teachers early in the morning, asking for their prayers and forgiveness.
1992 Time 27 July 63/1 He met with the staff and faculty of Azusa and asked for their prayers.
d. colloquial (originally U.S.). not to have (got) a prayer: to have no chance (of); to be in a hopeless situation.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > despair, hopelessness > desperate state or condition > beyond hope [phrase]
out of (all) curec1374
past praying for1509
up the spout1819
not to have got a prayer1924
1924 Life 13 Nov. 12/1 Once they get into their stride, The Opposite Sex hasn't a prayer.
1941 B. Schulberg What makes Sammy Run? vi. 92 Get..back to New York. You won't have a prayer around here.
1977 Time 10 Oct. 9/3 His party did not have a prayer of coming to power.
1994 Chess Monthly June 24/1 This bloke's in a different class from us—we haven't got a prayer!
e. a wing and a prayer: see wing n. Phrases 3.
2. An entreaty made to a person; an earnest request or appeal. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > request > [noun] > invocation or appeal
bodec1175
stevenc1200
crya1300
askingc1330
prayerc1330
beseeching1340
invocationc1384
billc1386
conjuringa1400
pealc1400
conjurationc1450
adjuration?1473
remonstrance?1473
interpellation1526
contestation1548
address1570
vocation1574
imprecation1585
appellation1587
supplantation1590
advocation1598
application1607
invoking1611
inclamation1613
conjurement1643
bespeaking1661
vocative1747
incalling1850
appeal1859
appealing1876
appealingness1876
rogative1882
cri de cœur1897
c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) 54 (MED) He bisouȝt his fader dere, Þat him graunted his prayer þat he most monke be At Vinchester.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 996 Ful prestely for þi praire..i graunt him greþli.
c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Brussels) (1940) Prol. f. 75 As wel considere I thi bisy prayere..to lerne the tretys of the astrelabie.
c1475 tr. C. de Pisan Livre du Corps de Policie (Cambr.) (1977) 52 (MED) Promocions of clerkis..be geuen by meanes of flateryng, by adulacion..and by the prayr of lordis.
a1500 (?c1425) Speculum Sacerdotale (1936) 14 (MED) Þrouȝ prayer of Pope Alexander and of Lodewyke..he hadde as in worde frenschip of the forsaide Harrye, kyng of Engelonde.
1570 G. Buchanan Chamæleon in Vernac. Writings (1892) 46 Yai could not brek the quenis obstinat mynd of yair distructioun be prayer and sollicitacioun of freindis.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) v. i. 116 I will fall prostrate at his feete, And neuer rise vntill my teares and prayers Haue won his grace to come in person hither. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 139 Unconstrain'd he nothing tells for naught; Nor is with Pray'rs, or Bribes, or Flatt'ry bought. View more context for this quotation
1723 A. Hill Henry V. iv. i. 48 If I am half so dear to Henry's Wishes, As his too-flattering Tongue has painted me, He will not, cannot, then, deny my Prayer.
1788 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall V. l. 225 They redeemed themselves with prayers and promises from their hands.
1848 E. Bulwer-Lytton Harold II. viii. vi. 271 He had almost predetermined to assent to his brother's prayer.
1897 C. M. Flandrau Harvard Episodes 230 So, in response to John's eleventh-hour prayers, he did what he could.
1968 V. Nabokov King, Queen, Knave xii. 251 Its competitor in the gallery..also refused to be propitiated either by prayer or knuckleknock.
3. A particular text or form of words used when praying.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > prayer > [noun] > formula
prayc1330
prayera1382
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1963) Kings Prol. 18 Þei ben weuyd wiþ þe Abece of þe same nowmbre & þe lamentaciownys of Jeremye & þe preyere of hym.
a1425 (?c1400) J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 98 (MED) Syþþe þe Pater Noster is þe beste prayer þat is..þerfore scholde men kunne þis prayour.
c1440 (?c1350) in G. G. Perry Relig. Pieces in Prose & Verse (1914) 32 (MED) I walde..þat þou vndirstande þe prayere of þe pater noster.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. LLLiiv This prayer may be deuided in to two partes.
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan iii. xl. 254 That excellent prayer, used in the Consecrations of all Churches.
1698 W. Chilcot Pract. Treat. Evil Thoughts v. 142 Not only in ejaculatory; but in our set Prayers.
1740 R. Challoner Garden of Soul 98 At the Pater noster join with the priest in that sacred prayer.
1797 A. Radcliffe Italian I. x. 298 Stopping..to repeat some prayer or sing a hymn.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. ii. 185 The ministers selected from that liturgy such prayers and thanksgivings as were likely to be least offensive to the people.
1884 Before Altar (1885) 60 Then the Priest kneeling says the Prayer of Humble Access, which you can follow.
1937 W. Douglas Church Mus. in Hist. & Pract. v. 120 It contained a bidding prayer for intercessions.
1995 Anglican Free Press 25 Dec. 21/1 Among the prayers you should memorize are the ‘General Thanksgiving’.
4.
a. Frequently in plural. Religious worship, esp. of a public nature, of which praying forms a principal part (as morning prayer, family prayers, etc.); frequently with possessive adjective referring to a person’s private or individual devotions.In quot. c1384: (perhaps) a place of prayer.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > observance, ritual > [noun] > instance or form of
churchOE
servicelOE
rightlOE
observancea1250
officec1300
preachingc1350
ritec1350
ceremonyc1380
usea1382
prayerc1384
form1399
ordinancea1400
ordera1425
worship?a1425
worshippingc1443
common prayer1493
common servicea1500
ordinarya1513
celebrity1534
church servicea1555
religious exercise1560
function1564
agend1581
church office1581
liturgy1593
Common Prayer service1648
ritualities1648
ceremonial1672
hierurgy1678
occasion1761
religiosities1834
cursus1865
joss-pidgin1886
worship service1929
society > faith > worship > prayer > kinds of prayer > [noun] > private
prayera1400
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xvi. 13 We wenten out withoute the ȝate bisydis the flood, wher preier was seyn for to be.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 28248 My prayers say was me ful lathe.
c1475 Brome Abraham & Isaac in N. Davis Non-Cycle Plays & Fragm. (1970) 46 I am here, And make my preyrys to þe Trenyte.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts iii. 1 Peter and Ihon went vp to gedder into the temple at the nynthe houre of prayer [1611 at the houre of prayer, being the ninth houre].
1552 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16279) Pref. sig. a.iii When men saye Morninge and Euening prayer [1549 Matins and Euensong] priuatly.
1573 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 2 In the morning after praiers we looked for it.
1636 H. Blount Voy. Levant 87 All the devouter sort, (which are not many) goe to Church, and say their prayers.
1677 J. Phillips tr. J.-B. Tavernier Persian Trav. v. iii. 205 in tr. J.-B. Tavernier Six Voy. (1678) The Assassinates found him at his prayers.
1729 W. Law Serious Call i. 1 Prayers whether private or publick, are particular parts or instances of Devotion.
1766 J. Entick Surv. London in New Hist. London IV. 75 A lantern, which..encloses the sacring-bell, to call the parishioners to prayers.
1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel I. 173 The bell..Now chimes in concert, calling all to prayers.
a1866 J. Keble Lett. Spiritual Counsel & Guidance (1870) 105 You are often hindered from the Church prayers.
1925 A. S. M. Hutchinson One Increasing Purpose iii. xi They say family prayers there with the servants every night.
1959 M. Levin Eva 11 How often as children had we..watched our shikseh maids at their prayers.
1990 Newsweek 16 July 37/1 Friday prayers at the University of Teheran are introduced by a radical mullah.
b. Roman Catholic Church. In plural. Among recusant Catholics (as a code word): = mass n.1 1a. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > sacrament > communion > mass > [noun]
houseleOE
masseOE
massOE
prayer1711
1711 in F. O. Blundell Old Catholic Lancs. (1941) III. vi. 67 Mr Blundell..newly dead. I went thither to prayers.
1792 P. Wyndham in B. Ward Dawn Catholic Revival (1909) II. 15 I permitted them to say prayers in my chapel.
1841 T. Callaghan Jrnl. 10 Jan. in Jrnl. Royal Austral. Hist. Soc. 34 282 I went to prayers at 11 o'clock with Rorke alone. Mr. Dowling asked me to serve Mass which I did.
1885 J. O. Payne in E. E. Estcourt & J. O. Payne Eng. Catholic Nonjurors of 1715 Pref. p. x As late as 1839, mass is called ‘Prayers’ at several places named in the ‘Catholic Directory’.
1911 M. Hallie & E. Bonney Life & Lett. J. Lingard (1912) 96 In 1870, a gentleman of the old school habitually spoke of ‘going to prayers’ instead of Mass.
2012 M. Heimann in A. Jarlert Piety & Modernity 42 In recusant times..English Catholics..tended to describe themselves uncontroversially as ‘Christians’ rather than as ‘Catholics’ and to speak of going to ‘prayers’ rather than to ‘Mass’.
5.
a. The object of a request or appeal; something prayed for or entreated. In later use not easily distinguishable from sense 1a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > request > [noun] > that which is asked for
boonc1175
prayera1425
petitionc1451
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 3451 Thus hath he graunted my praiere.
a1450 Castle Perseverance (1969) l. 3256 Lete it be sene, Lord, now at þi dome, Þat I may haue my trewe prayere To do trewþe to Mankynd.
1451–1500 (c1400) Vision of Tundale 1786 (MED) The angelle gaf hym none answere, For he wold not do his prayere.
1676 T. Hobbes tr. Homer Iliads i. 45 His prayer was granted by the Deity.
1774 J. Woolman Jrnl. (1971) viii. 123 As his prayer was granted, it followed necessarily that they were kept from evil.
1818 M. W. Shelley Frankenstein II. ix. 152 If you grant my prayer..you shall never behold me again.
1863 E. C. Gaskell Sylvia's Lovers II. iv. 84 My prayer is granted. God be thanked!
1915 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Island xi. 111 The Lord grant our dear sister's prayer!
1989 M. Warner Lost Father (BNC) 66 She [sc. the Madonna] granted Rosa's prayer.
b. That part of a petition to a legislative body which specifies what is desired; (British Parliament) a motion to annul a statutory order or regulation.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > request > [noun] > formal request or petition > part of
prayer1836
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > procedure of parliament or national assembly > [noun] > petition to Crown for annulment of order
prayer1937
1836 J. C. Calhoun Speech Abolition Petitions 9 Mar. 6 It is only on the question of receiving that opposition can be made to the petition itself. On all others, the opposition is to its prayer.
1937 Hansard Commons 4 June 1307 The notification of the Amendment will, of course, be subject to a Prayer, just as the Regulations themselves are.
1946 May's Law Treat. Parl. (ed. 14) xiv. 286 These motions are usually in the form of addresses to the Crown praying for the annulment of orders or regulations and are hence commonly called ‘Prayers’.
1973 N.Y. Law Jrnl. 2 Aug. 5/3 Nowhere in this or any other document, has IBM denied the factual assertions, made by the United States, which are the basis for its prayer that IBM be held in contempt of court.
1991 Times (Nexis) 7 Oct. The mark of this frenzy is the government's evasion, wherever possible, of debate; whence the use of the Statutory Instrument... Only the use of the clumsy parliamentary blunt instrument called a ‘Prayer’ can lead to discussion on it.
Phrases
prayer of inclination n. any of various prayers of supplication or benediction in the liturgies of the Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, spec. (a) (with reference to the liturgies of the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Church of the East) one which the priest utters in an undertone with the head bowed; (b) one during which the congregation bow their heads, esp. the prayer between the Lord's Prayer and the administration of the Eucharist (corresponding to the Anglican prayer of humble access).
ΚΠ
1837 Madras Church Missionary Rec. Jan. 6/1 (heading) Prayer of Inclination.
1850 J. M. Neale Hist. Holy Eastern Church: Pt. 1 I. iii. v. 515 The Prayer of Inclination. This is a short supplication that God would endue them who are about to be communicants with all the dispositions of mind necessary to their communicating worthily.
1850 J. M. Neale Hist. Holy Eastern Church: Pt. 1 II. iv. v. 990 The inclination, or prayer of inclination, alternates with the prayers to be said aloud in the Syriac offices. The former are said secretly, the hands being crossed, and the head bowed.
1868 Union Rev. 6 247 The ‘Prayers of Inclination’..were repeated by the Bishop, stretching out his hands towards heaven, over the people, who meanwhile were profoundly inclined.
1919 L. Wright Eucharistic Office Bk. Common Prayer v. 82 In Eastern liturgies the corresponding prayer [to the Prayer of Humble Access] is called the ‘prayer of inclination’, and comes immediately before the people's Communion.
1989 J. Vadakkel East Syrian Anaphora of Mar Theodore of Mopsuestia v. 100 This is a prayer of inclination recited in a low voice with bowed head and stretched out hands towards the altar.
2001 Dumbarton Oaks Papers 55 23 It is possible to distinguish [i.e. in the Byzantine funeral rite] a complete liturgical structure comprising a litany followed by two prayers, the final one a prayer of inclination.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive.† prayer-matter n. Obsolete
prayer attitude n.
ΚΠ
1908 Warren (Pa.) Evening Mirror 14 Jan. 1/1 Many bodies were found with their hands clasped in prayer attitude.
1953 R. A. Knox Off Rec. xliv. 148 If one does a hop from Evangelicalism to the Church the difference is not so much one of doctrines as one of prayer-attitudes.
1989 J. S. Shivers Camping xx. 335 The hands are brought together in a prayer attitude just beneath the chin.
prayer-desire n.
ΚΠ
1883 R. Jefferies Story Heart 188 It is not strong enough to utter my prayer-desire.
1914 Sabbath Recorder 6 Apr. 434/2 While you've been attentively listening this prayer-desire of yours has been consciously or unconsciously working.
2000 W. M. Johnston et al. Encycl. Monasticism 848/2 He allows himself to be affected as much by God's reciprocal presence in consciousness as by the fulfillment of the prayer desire.
prayer ground n.
ΚΠ
1859 Times 20 Sept. 7/1 They..arrived on the prayer ground when the proceedings were more than half over.
1938 Jrnl. Royal Afr. Soc. 37 76 Graveyards and prayer grounds..are in rural communities nearly always on private land.
2003 Church Times 12 Dec. 10/3 The prayer-ground is, as Gandhi taught, spacious and open to the sky.
prayer hall n.
ΚΠ
1826 S. G. Fisher Let. 6 Mar. in B. A. Konkle Life & Speeches T. Williams (1905) 35 Some of them have been spoken [sic] two or three times in the prayer-hall.
1918 E. J. Dillon Eclipse of Russia vii. 95 In the year 1883 a law was passed allowing the Stundists..to meet in and possess prayer halls.
2003 Daily Tel. 21 Jan. 22/3 The raid on the mosque was not a huge surprise, and the officers were careful not to enter the prayer hall itself.
prayer hour n.
ΚΠ
1706 tr. P. M. de la Martinière New Voy. to North 130 If his Health permits him, he constantly goes to Chapel at Prayer-Hours.
1865 C. T. Brooks tr. J. P. F. Richter Hesperus 95 It was a so-called week-day prayer-hour, such as will be set apart in every rational duchy and margravedom.
1997 H. R. Madhubuti Groundwork l. 9 I alone can make the word of God have little or no meaning to many in Sunday morning's prayer hour.
prayer house n.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > sanctuary or holy place > [noun]
holinessc897
houseeOE
halidomc1000
ZionOE
God's houseOE
wike-tuna1250
saintuairea1300
sanctuarya1340
holy1382
entry?c1400
the Holy (Saint) Sepulchre (occasionally the Sepulchre)c1400
high placea1425
place of worship?1459
synagogue1490
God-box?1548
shrinea1577
bethela1617
prayer house1657
barn1689
bidental1692
altar1772
praying housea1843
1606 W. Birnie Blame of Kirk-buriall xix. sig. F Vpon the dittey of making prayers house a caue of knaues.]
1657 in R. Renwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Peebles (1910) 43 To and fra the back doore..of the chaipell or prayer hous.
1761 I. Watts Short View Script. Hist. xix. 168 There were Prayer houses called Proseuchai, which differed from Synagogues.
1829 Times 4 Feb. 3/2 On gaining admission into the building the Prayer House presented one complete mass of fire and smoke.
1913 Ann. Amer. Acad. Polit. & Social Sci. 49 149 These prayer houses are a local institution, older and different from the churches.
1992 Guadalupe Rev. Oct. 22/2 Cedar smoke in a prayer house constructed in the last century pervades my memory.
prayer leader n.
ΚΠ
1797 A. Kilham Methodist Monitor II. xv. 250 Every prayer-leader..should have stored in his memory a variety of verses of hymns suitable to the circumstance of entering upon prayer.
1817 Times 13 Nov. 3/5 A prayer leader among the Wesleyans.
1901 Amer. Jrnl. Theol. 5 652 These are the stupendous categories of thought with which the prayer-leader must continually deal.
2002 U.S. News & World Rep. 15 Apr. 38/2 The imams and prayer leaders of America's 1,400 mosques and Islamic centers tend to be self-appointed religious experts.
prayer life n.
ΚΠ
1899 Nebraska State Jrnl. 28 Oct. 6/3 She had noticed an increased interest in Bible study and a deeper prayer life among the members.
1936 J. Brice Pentecost xiii. 226 The prayer-life of the Spirit-filled believer is transformed through his new apprehension of the Father.
1996 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 2 June 22/2 He..has a well-developed personal prayer life and prizes Roman Catholicism for its discipline and authority.
ΚΠ
1676 W. Allen Serious & Friendly Addr. Non-conformists 121 They are prayer matter, and thanksgiving matter.
1680 W. Allen Perswasive to Peace & Unity (ed. 2) Pref. 42 By such a Form Prayer-matter is prepared with more advantage to affect such peoples minds.
prayer-monger n.
ΚΠ
1749 P. Annet Social Bliss Considered 100 If importunity be not the availing grace, if the best prayer-monger or speech-maker to God Almighty does not stand the best chance.
1833 J. F. Cooper Headsman (1871) 23 A heretic, hopelessly damned by anticipation, if that of yonder travelling prayer-monger be the true faith.
1934 J. Allan et al. Cambr. Shorter Hist. India ii. xi. 406 The prayer-monger had little difficulty in persuading his other brothers that Dārā was no Muslim.
1987 Post Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 24 Jan. 10/3 Public prayer-mongers have fallen on troubled times, even in the National Football League.
prayer room n.
ΚΠ
1708 Truth of Case 41 He had got a sorry Knack at extempore Prayer; which he always exercis'd aloud, and, most commonly, in the Prayer-Room, with the Door open.
1850 H. Melville White-jacket xxxviii. 189 But our own hearts are our best prayer-rooms, and the chaplains who can most help us are ourselves.
1902 Daily Chron. 2 Oct. 7/1 There are hundreds of these little meeting-places and prayer-rooms scattered about in the side streets and alleys.
1997 A. Sivanandan When Memory Dies ii. i. 120 Go and call your mother and come to the prayer room, all of you.
prayer service n.
ΚΠ
1851 Biblical Repertory 2 Apr. 234 Accordingly on Sunday, it was ordained that there should be, ‘a prayer service at an early hour in five of the churches for the benefit of travellers and servants.’
1932 W. Faulkner Light in August xvi. 346 Prayer service on Wednesday night.
1992 Free China Rev. May 42/2 (caption) Here, a prayer service during Ramadan.
prayer test n.
ΚΠ
1873 C. Benson in Galaxy Feb. 179 I was moved by the prayer-test controversy, which gave rise to so much spirited writing on both sides, and so much interest on the part of the public.
1924 Lima (Ohio) News 21 June 4/4 Elijah..was the hero in the world's greatest prayer test.
2001 Agence France Presse Newswire (Nexis) 27 Sept. The people of Kabul were subject to beard inspections, prayer tests, forced haircuts and draconian punishments.
prayer time n.
ΚΠ
1562–3 Extracts Rec. in W. Chambers Charters Burgh Peebles (1872) 288 Ordanis all parochinaris..to compere and mak thair obedience at prayer tyme and vtheris without ony rangald in tymes cuming.
1655 H. Vaughan Silex Scintillans (ed. 2) ii. 56 Christs progress, and his prayer time; The hours to which high Heaven doth chime.
1704 W. Walker Marry, or do Worse iv. 58 I'm call'd now, to morrow Morning at Prayer time near the New-walk.
1838 C. Dickens Oliver Twist I. iii. 34 Every evening at prayer-time.
1901 Biblical World 18 7 At prayer-time the modern orthodox Jew wears what is called the tallith.
1994 Washington Post 19 Mar. b7/1 Fulfilling the Muslim requirement to pray five times a day can get tricky. One of those prayer times falls while she's at the office.
prayer union n.
ΚΠ
1845 (title) The prayer union.
1962 Jrnl. Afr. Hist. 3 108 The Ladies Prayer Union No. 2..distributed money and gifts.
2002 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 30 Nov. (headline) Prayer union celebration.
prayer word n.
ΚΠ
1897 News (Frederick, Maryland) 2 Oct. We should all express In acts, as well as prayer words, our sense o' thankfulness.
1961 Times 22 July 10/5 All is reduced to one word, Christ's own prayer-word, Abba, father.
2003 Intelligencer (Doylestown, Pa.) 29 May d2/3 Pavarotti stuck to the Latin prayer words.
b. Objective.† prayer-grinding n. and adj. Obsolete† prayer-inventor n. Obsolete rare† prayer-lisping adj. Obsolete† prayer-repeating adj. Obsolete
prayer-answering adj.
ΚΠ
1779 W. Cowper in J. Newton & W. Cowper Olney Hymns iii. 332 A pray'r-hearing, answ'ring God.
1856 Ladies' Repository Nov. 679/2 The prayer of the faithful mother had prevailed with a prayer-answering Jehovah.
1904 J. P. Altgeld Cost of Something for Nothing 113 Assuming that there is a prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God, it is manifest that the mere mumbling of words, the ostentatious appeal to Heaven..are the acts of a Pharisee.
1993 R. Castleden Minoans (BNC) 132 A disembodied eye and ear, perhaps symbolizing the spirit forms of an all-seeing, all-hearing, prayer-answering deity, float in the air.
ΚΠ
1828 Lion 15 Aug. 208 If all the cannons, guns, bombs, and mortars..were used for that, and no other purpose, than to out-roar the cant and bruit of psalm-smiting and prayer-grinding throughout the kingdom,..I should hail the day, of the proudest triumph that humanity has yet to hope.
1842 Morning Chron. 19 Oct. We object to the prayer-grinding system practised at St. Pancras workhouse.
1910 F. H. Perrycoste Ritual, Faith, & Morals 244 All this mechanical prayer-grinding folly is the proof of his followers' zeal for that teacher who denounced vain repetitions.
prayer-hearing adj.
ΚΠ
1640 E. Buckler Buckler against Fear of Death ii. §3. sig. F6v Doth he that prayer-hearing God beseech?
1719 I. Watts Psalms of David 165 A prayer-hearing God.
a1732 T. Boston Crook in Lot (1805) 156 The hand of a prayer-hearing God.
1844 J. Hay Let. in R. Cecil Masks of Death (BNC) 40 I felt persuaded that the Lord would yet hear us and for His name's sake appear as the one prayer-hearing God.
1933 Edwardsville (Illinois) Intelligencer 3 Mar. 5/2 He..used what little faith he had in Christ, the prayer-hearing Healer.
2000 R. Ostrander Life of Prayer in World of Sci. iv. 81 The immanent God founded in Kantian epistemology bore little resemblance to the anthropomorphic, willful, prayer-hearing God of the Bible.
ΚΠ
1662 J. Barbon Λειτουργία Θειοτέρα Ἐργία Pref. to Rdr. sig. B They..hang (yawningly) on the incertain, pumping, fluctuating, endeavours, and wandring, moveable, desultorie, roving, stragling, confused, wild spirit of the Prayer-inventor.
1843 G. M. Musgrave Nine & Two vii. 180 In chapels or meeting-houses, the congregation depend entirely on the preacher or prayer-inventor, for every word.
ΚΠ
a1847 E. Cook Future iv The prayer-lisping infant.
prayer-loving adj.
ΚΠ
1823 New Monthly Mag. 8 82 Good Queen Elizabeth, with her prayer-loving subjects.
1933 Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 4 Jan. 12/6 A virile, prayer-loving lot of Christians.
2004 Western Morning News (Nexis) 27 Jan. 38 Venerable preaching crosses call to the prayer-loving denizens of the past.
prayer-maker n.
ΚΠ
1663 J. Heath Flagellum 128 He was absolutely the best prayer-maker and preacher in the Army.
1736 Usefulness of Catech. Considered 11 The Inference would be too wide, from him to any other Prayer-maker, as to the Capacity to compose a proper Form of Prayer.
1873 Sandusky (Ohio) Daily Reg. 29 July Absence of mind is perhaps the besetting sin of public prayer-makers.
1951 Man 51 101/1 On the day of sowing the same or another prayer-maker is called on who says a suitable rosary then or shortly before.
2001 J. C. Nash Mayan Visions iv. 156 Prayer makers climbed up the stage and performed a dance.
ΚΠ
1825 R. Gordon Serm. 422 Through the whole course of a prayer-repeating life, they had never prayed at all.
c. Instrumental.† prayer-clenched adj. Obsolete† prayer-prospering adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1857 Ld. Dufferin Lett. from High Latitudes xiii. 392 Hands—prayer-clenched—that would not sever.
ΚΠ
1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares f. 30v Nowe it was no more a prayer-prospering House.
C2. † prayer-bill n. Obsolete a written petition or prayer.
ΚΠ
1700 T. Brown Amusem. Serious & Comical x. 123 A Number of Prayer-Bills, containing the Humble Petitions of divers Devoto's.
prayer-bones n. U.S. colloquial the knees.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > leg > knee > [noun]
kneec825
knop14..
marrowbone1506
gigot1687
knapper1767
prayer-bones1877
bender1925
knobblies1953
1877 A. Pinkerton Molly Maguires & Detectives xiv. 142 ‘Now get down on your prayer-bones,’ whispered Monaghan; and McKenna knelt upon the carpet.
a1944 J. Conroy in B. A. Botkin Treasury Amer. Folklore (1944) iv. 531 If you kneel down to save your poor old back, the little grains of sand eat into your prayerbones.
1998 Poetry July 200 His family on their prayer-bones nightly at the altar of Oakdale Baptist.
prayer breakfast n. a public breakfast meeting during which prayers are offered.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > meal > [noun] > breakfast or morning meal
forme-metea1175
breakfast1463
disjune1491
jentation1599
jenticulation1658
meat breakfast1728
English breakfast1773
déjeuner1787
dejeune1788
fork-breakfast1812
tea-breakfast1825
cooked breakfast1848
chota hazri1863
hunt-breakfast1877
petit déjeuner1879
brekker1889
brekkie1904
Continental breakfast1911
prayer breakfast1930
Oslo breakfast1937
fry1959
society > faith > worship > prayer > [noun] > breakfast during which prayers are offered
prayer breakfast1930
1930 Frederick (Maryland) Post 12 Apr. 4/1 The Thurmont Chapter of Full Gospel Business Mens' Fellowship International will hold a prayer breakfast at the Mountaingate Restaurant.
2005 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 19 Apr. Transformations Ireland has been organising prayer breakfasts and trying to encourage leaders to pray and work together.
prayer cap n. a cap traditionally worn by members of a particular religion or denomination while at prayer or attending a service.
ΚΠ
1909 Washington Post iii. 8/8 The Ohio conference has decided that all members shall be expelled unless they agree that..‘wearing of jewelry..and unncecessary ornamentation be discontinued and that sisters wear the prayer cap during religious services’.
2002 R. Mistry Family Matters (2003) xvi. 339 The prayer cap his mother had bought for his navjote ceremony had been this very shade of maroon.
prayer card n. (a) Christian Church a small card bearing a prayer and occasionally also a religious picture or symbol; (b) British a card used by a Member of Parliament to reserve a seat at morning prayers (and hence for the rest of the sitting) in the House of Commons.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > prayer > [noun] > card for reserving seat at prayers
prayer card1880
prayer ticket1924
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > procedure of parliament or national assembly > [noun] > specific method of reserving seat
prayer card1880
hat trick1886
prayer ticket1924
1880 Times 15 July 14/4 (advt.) Morning and evening prayer card. Price 1d., or 9d. per dozen.
1946 G. F. M. Campion May's Treat. Law, Privileges & Usage Parl. (ed. 14) 222 A Member, however, may leave a card upon a seat, in order to indicate his intention of acquiring a right to a seat by a subsequent attendance at prayers; this ‘prayer card’, which is dated, may be obtained by Members personally from an attendant.
1994 M. di Michele Under my Skin xi. 110 The other day she felt strangely touched by a prayer card which had arrived through the mail slot... The prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. Above the text, a naive drawing of the monk sweet-talking the animals.
2004 Times (Nexis) 11 Feb. 29 In the Commons he has occupied the same corner seat since he entered Parliament in 1970, which he reserves with a prayer card at 8am each day, though he never goes to prayers.
prayer carpet n. = prayer rug n.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > cloths, carpets, cushions > prayer carpet > [noun]
prayer carpet1788
praying carpet1844
praying rug1847
prayer rug1851
prayer mat1857
praying mat1860
1788 tr. I. Mouradgea d'Ohsson Oriental Antiq. 500 Besides these relicks which are relative to the Prophet, there are others... The chief of them are, a prayer-carpet, Sedjéadé, of the Kaliph Ebu-Bekir, [etc.].
1889 Overland Monthly Apr. 438 His lord's prayer-carpet, gently he unwound.
1983 E. Pizzey Watershed iii. xxxxiii. 337 Persian prayer carpets lay like jewels on the floor.
prayer chain n. a series of people each of whom receives a written prayer with an invitation to pass it or copies of it to others, so that the prayer may be offered repeatedly.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > prayer > [noun] > one who performs > series of
prayer chain1895
1895 Daily Republican (Decatur, Illinois) 14 Dec. 1/3 How many of the Decatur endeavorers have joined the World's Christian Endeavor Prayer Chain?
1908 Westm. Gaz. 5 Oct. 4/1 Other ladies started prayer-chains to promote or defeat the different candidates' chances of victory.
2001 Church Times 16 Feb. 10/2 The post [sc. head of religious broadcasting at the BBC] was the subject of e-mail prayer-chains.
prayer circle n. a prayer group; (also) a ring formed by joining hands for the purpose of communal praying.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > prayer > [noun] > one who performs > group of
prayer ring1846
praying band1852
prayer circle1856
prayer group1905
1856 G. W. Hervey Princ. of Courtesy xiii. 185 Those professors who neglect the social prayer circle and brotherly call, only meeting one another on the Sabbath.
1880 P. Deming Adirondack Stories 25 As a preliminary to the sermon, a prayer-circle was formed.
1958 Denton (Maryland) Jrnl. 10 Oct. 2/3 Prayer Circles met at 7.30 p.m.
1994 Canad. Geographic May 70/3 Freda often leads a healing or prayer circle... ‘We join hands and let one another know that we're not alone.’
prayer cloak n. (a) (Judaism) = prayer shawl n.; (b) (in other religious traditions) a similar garment worn during prayer.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > lay garments > items of attire > [noun] > prayer-shawl
tallith1613
prayer cloak1856
prayer scarf1867
praying scarf1881
prayer shawl1892
praying shawl1892
1856 Putnam's Monthly Mag. Mar. 302/1 The putting on of the Tallith, or prayer-cloak, which every devout Israelite wears at his public devotions.
1977 Contemp. Sociol. 6 740 Only married males can wear the talis (prayer cloak).
2000 Vancouver Province (Nexis) 9 Jan. a34 Indonesian women wearing traditional Islamic prayer cloaks perform morning prayers.
prayer cure n. a cure brought about by praying; a faith cure.
ΚΠ
1877 E. S. Phelps Story of Avis xxi. 390 Should he try Colorado, the South,..Spiritualism, or the prayer-cure?
1930 M. P. Powell Mary Baker Eddy (note) 301 Mrs. Eddy had finally landed in prayer-cure pure and simple.
1984 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald Jrnl. 22 Mar. a12/1 (headline) Mother charged after prayer cure fails.
prayer cylinder n. Buddhism = prayer wheel n. 1; cf. mani n.2
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > implement (general) > prayer-wheel > [noun]
prayer wheel1788
praying machinea1807
prayer mill1832
praying cylinder1834
praying wheel1854
prayer cylinder1862
1862 Times 20 June 5/5 In some parts near Thibet,..these prayer cylinders are made of great size, and turned by water power, so as to do the praying of the whole village.
1942 Harvard Jrnl. Asiatic Stud. 7 155 Is it possible that the prayer cylinder makes its bow no earlier than the revolving library, which..is already an elaborate affair by 800 A.D.?
1984 Washington Post (Nexis) 16 Oct. a2/3 The rhythm of worship is maintained by whirling green metal prayer cylinders with yellow Tibetan scripture.
prayer day n. (a) a day of prayer, esp. for a specific intention; (b) British a day in Parliament on which prayers are heard (see sense 5b).
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > procedure of parliament or national assembly > [noun] > petition to Crown for annulment of order > day set for
prayer day1671
1671 J. Ogilby tr. O. Dapper et al. Atlas Chinensis 152 And that the Almighty might prosper them in their Undertakings, a Fast and Prayer-day was order'd to be kept in all the Fleet the twenty eighth of that Month.
1767 J. Woodforde Diary 25 Oct. (1981) I. 67 This day did not use to be a Prayer day on common days for years back at C. Cary, that is not since George the 2nd.
1805 T. Rumney Diary 5 Dec. in A. W. Rumney From Old South-sea House (1914) xx. 316 A Prayer Day or Thanksgiving on account of Lord Nelson's Victory.
1952 Ann. Reg. 1951 17 A motion..to cut off alcoholic refreshment after 10 p.m. on ‘prayer days’.
1972 Mod. Law Rev. 35 292 It [sc. the Procedure Committee] recommends that..three Fridays in every session should be set aside as ‘prayer days’ for private Members.
1998 I. Reader & G. J. Tanabe Practically Relig. vi. 212 We commented on many of these events—such as hatsumōde..as well as ennichi, which are both special prayer days and public markets.
prayer desk n. a stall from which prayers are read in a church (see desk n. 2a); (also) a prie-dieu.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > furniture > lectern or pulpit > [noun]
lecternc1325
pulpitc1390
desk1449
stage1483
anabathur1623
oratorio1631
ambo1641
tub1644
chair1649
anabathrum1658
minbar1682
ambon1683
hand board1734
rostrum1755
tub-pulpita1791
lutrin1837
prayer desk1843
wood1854
praying desk1906
1843 Ecclesiologist 2 22 The Prayer-desk faces east and west.
1910 Burlington Mag. June 174/2 She [sc. St Margaret of York] is represented eight times: twice kneeling at a prayer desk, and six times as exercising works of charity.
1990 Antiquaries Jrnl. 70 67 Two miniature daughters stand holding hands in front of the prayer desk at which their parents kneel.
prayer flag n. Buddhism (esp. in Tibet) a flag on which prayers are inscribed.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > furniture > other furniture > [noun] > banner > of prayers
prayer flag1879
1879 Jrnl. Anthropol. Inst. 8 203 The writer observed a rag fastened to a stick stuck on the top of a cairn on the highest possible point on the pass; he secured it with much difficulty, and found it was a prayer-flag.
1952 N. Morin & J. A. Smith tr. M. Herzog Annapurna v. 77 A Buddhist chorten adorned with prayer flags marked the entry to the village.
1993 Daily Tel. 21 Aug. (Weekend Suppl.) p. xxiv/4 We walked between flapping prayer flags... ‘The flags are for good luck,’ said our guide.
prayer gong n. a gong used to call people to prayer.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > implement (general) > other implements > [noun] > gong
tableeOE
prayer gong1872
1872 J. R. Thompson Richmond, Hist. & Scenic 117/1 But there goes the prayer-gong, and down we all go to prayers.
1905 E. F. Benson Image in Sand ix. 135 I adore theosophy, prayer-gongs, and letters from the ceiling.
1984 Chron.-Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) 4 Nov. G3/3 A Buddhist prayer gong reverberated mournfully through the crowd.
prayer group n. a group of people who regularly meet to pray and discuss religious issues.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > prayer > [noun] > one who performs > group of
prayer ring1846
praying band1852
prayer circle1856
prayer group1905
1905 Daily Rev. (Decatur, Illinois) 27 Oct. 7 After the prayer groups and the Bible hour, Miss Marie Helgeson will tell of the Chicago association house.
1991 Tablet 21 Dec. 1569/1 Someone in our prayer group remarked how God chose to come under the rule of Tiberius Caesar when Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judea.
prayer mat n. a small mat or rug on which a person (esp. a Muslim) kneels to pray.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > cloths, carpets, cushions > prayer carpet > [noun]
prayer carpet1788
praying carpet1844
praying rug1847
prayer rug1851
prayer mat1857
praying mat1860
1857 Delaware State Reporter 9 Oct. 1/5 I have forty days to live; I will sit upon my prayer mat and meditate on the evils of life and the blessedness of death.
1917 Geogr. Jrnl. 50 122 A palm..furnishes the material for making the mats used..as prayer-mats in the mosques.
1994 A. Gurnah Paradise (1995) 203 He shouted at all of us and spent hours on his prayer-mat.
prayer niche n. Islam (in a mosque) a niche in the centre of a sanctuary wall, indicating the direction of Mecca; (also) a niche motif on a prayer rug; = mihrab n.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > division of building (general) > other parts > [noun] > niche
mihrab1662
kiblah1775
fenestella1797
butsudan1822
prayer niche1872
1872 E. H. Palmer Desert of Exodus 401 One of the compartments on the south side had evidently been a mosque, as it contained a mihráb, or prayer-niche.
1931 A. U. Dilley Oriental Rugs & Carpets viii. 201 Above this field is either one large prayer niche (called a mihrab), shaped like a tent, or a row of miniature prayer niches.
1997 W. Dalrymple From Holy Mountain (1998) v. 304 I realised that the prayer niche must be another of those features of the early Christian world which has been lost to modern Western Christianity, yet which is still preserved in Islam.
prayer nut n. rare a nut-shaped chaplet or rosary bead which opens to form a diptych with reliefs.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > implement (general) > rosary > [noun] > bead of > which opens to form diptych
prayer nut1937
1937 Burlington Mag. Aug. 98/1 She holds a little silver chain, from which hangs..a ‘prayer-nut’ for a chaplet, in wrought silver.
2002 Canad. Business (Nexis) 30 Dec. 83 Would you ever consider..saying a prayer with one of the prayer nuts?
prayer oil n. an oil used in a particular religious ritual or sacrament, esp. (Christian Church) an oil used in the Eastern Orthodox Church for anointing the sick and dying.
ΚΠ
1850 J. M. Neale Hist. Holy Eastern Church i. 1013 In proceeding to the consideration of the three next mysteries of the Eastern Church, penance, matrimonial coronation, and the prayer-oil.
1909 New Schaff-Herzog Encycl. Relig. Knowl. IV. 199 Euchelaion, in the Greek Church, the ‘prayer oil’, consecrated by seven priests, and used for the unction of the sick.
1993 Chron.-Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) 23 Sept. d1/5 The state prisons have agreed to allow Muslims to..have access to prayer rugs and prayer oils.
prayer plant n. a Brazilian plant, Maranta leuconeura (family Marantaceae), with irregular, three-petalled, white flowers, often cultivated as a house plant for its shiny, variegated leaves, which fold upwards at night.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > foliage, house, or garden plants > [noun] > other ornamental plants
milkwood1696
bignonia1719
Molucca balm1731
gunnera1789
lantana1791
aubrietia1829
zebrina1846
alocasia1858
billbergia1858
prickly thrift1866
bocconia1867
prickly rhubarb1895
prayer plant1951
1951 Chron.-Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) 15 Jan. 7/3 One variety, Maranta kerchoveana, is called the Prayer Plant because of the peculiar trait shown by the plant... As darkness approaches the leaves move slowly upright and remain high in a supplicating position as if in prayer all through the night.
1996 D. Levertov New Direct. viii. 119 The prayer plant must long for darkness, that it may fold and raise its many pairs of green hands.
prayer ring n. = prayer circle n.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > prayer > [noun] > one who performs > group of
prayer ring1846
praying band1852
prayer circle1856
prayer group1905
1846 Knickerbocker Oct. 305 When a ‘prayer ring’ was to be formed, he announced it at the close of a sermon.
1955 C. A. Johnson Frontier Camp Meeting vii. 133 The ‘praying circles’ or ‘prayer rings’ materialized when a group of respected laymen and preachers joined hands to form a circle.
1974 Lincoln (Nebraska) Star 30 June 10C/3 In that line were both bankers, all three ministers and that holier-than-thou matron who formed a prayer ring every time she could corner two or more people.
2003 Greenville (S. Carolina) News (Nexis) 4 Mar. 1 b (caption) Prayer ring: about 30 people gathered on Pendleton's Village Green to pray for peace, international understanding and compassion.
prayer rug n. a small rug on which a person (esp. a Muslim) kneels to pray; cf. prayer mat n.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > cloths, carpets, cushions > prayer carpet > [noun]
prayer carpet1788
praying carpet1844
praying rug1847
prayer rug1851
prayer mat1857
praying mat1860
1851 Times 4 July 5/3 If they find..in Tunis a prayer rug worthy of distinction, they should make their award accordingly.
1904 M. B. Langton How to know Oriental Rugs v. 165 The antique Koulah prayer-rug differs from the Ghiordes in various ways.
1994 N. Baker Fermata xiii. 123 I took off my bathing suit and knelt, crouched over before the typewriter as if I were on a prayer rug.
prayer saying n. and adj. (a) n. the act or practice of praying; (b) adj. that prays, esp. habitually; (hence) religious, God-fearing.
ΚΠ
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 81 He..told hym what þoght come in his mynde in þis prayer-saying.
1845 Times 5 Sept. 8/4 He [sc. Cromwell] made them externally a prayer-saying, psalm-singing race.
1897 O. Wister Lin McLean ix. 142 All that prayer-saying an' stuff.
1959 Daily Independent (Monessan, Pa.) 3 Aug. 4/7 Prayer-saying pirates out to bring order out of lawlessness.
1972 Chron.-Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) 6 May 5/4 They do not get excited about school busing, open-housing covenants,..prayer saying in schools.
1999 Washington Times 5 Feb. a11 [Her] conduct has warred with attitudes typical of churchgoing, prayer-saying people.
prayer scarf n. a long scarf worn during prayer or a religious ceremony; (Judaism) a tallith.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > lay garments > items of attire > [noun] > prayer-shawl
tallith1613
prayer cloak1856
prayer scarf1867
praying scarf1881
prayer shawl1892
praying shawl1892
1867 Church News 10 July 274/2 The stole of the Deacon is called ὀραρίον which is etymologically the same with prayer-scarf.
1912 H. Frank tr. E. D. Rosenthal in Yiddish Tales 190 Nearly every Jew carries in one hand a large, well-packed Tallis-bag, which to-day, besides the prayer-scarf, holds the whole Jewish outfit.
2002 E. A. Gargan River's Tale i. 38 A portrait of the Dalai Lama draped in white silk prayer scarves, what the Tibetans call katta, was propped on a shelf.
prayer shawl n. Judaism a long scarf or shawl worn round the neck or on the head during prayer; a tallith.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > lay garments > items of attire > [noun] > prayer-shawl
tallith1613
prayer cloak1856
prayer scarf1867
praying scarf1881
prayer shawl1892
praying shawl1892
1892 Cent. Mag. Jan. 330/2 Clad in ‘tallith’, or prayer-shawl, capped or hatted, voluminous of voice and ceaseless in gentle movement.
1937 Social Forces 15 411/2 A few still remain who retain..such traditional details as the hair cut with side curls typical of the rabbi,..and the prayer shawls of the religious.
1992 N.Y. Times 17 July c14/4 The film dutifully explores everything from bread-baking for the Sabbath feast..to the number of knots in the fringes of a prayer shawl.
prayer stick n. a stick decorated with feathers, used by some North American Indian peoples in religious ceremonies; (also, among Christian North American Indians) a stick on which prayers are inscribed.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > implement (general) > other implements > [noun] > prayer-stick
prayer stick1865
plume stick1882
paho1884
1865 E. B. Tylor Res. Early Hist. Mankind v. 88 I do not know whether any of these curious prayer-sticks are now to be seen.
1933 Sci. Monthly Jan. 49/2 In late November or early December eight new houses or rooms are ‘blessed’ by impersonations of the Spirits or Kachina, who bury prayer-sticks below the earthen floor.
1992 Indian Trader Oct. 6/2 Agents have seized pieces including ceremonial Indian masks..and Acoma prayer sticks.
prayer stool n. a small, L-shaped bench or stool at which a person kneels to pray; a low prie-dieu.
ΚΠ
1869 Times 6 Nov. 10/2 A prayer stool, surmounted by a canopy, was placed at the right side of the altar for the Queen.
1908 Daily Chron. 6 Apr. 1/4 As they knelt upon the wooden prayer stool..they made no noise.
1992 M. Clynes White Rose Murder (BNC) 73 Candelabra, heavy missal books with their golden covers and carved stands, cushioned prayer stools..were piled in great heaps on the cobbled yard.
prayer thong n. Judaism (rare) either of the tefillin worn by Jewish men and boys during prayer; a phylactery.
ΚΠ
1885 Encycl. Brit. XIX. 1/1 Phylactery..is the name given in the New Testament to the..(tefillîn) or ‘prayer-thongs’ of the Jews. Every Jew wears at prayer two of these thongs.
1987 Art Jrnl. 46 26/1 Gaugin's insistence on de Haan's Hebrew faith by including prayer thong and cap.
prayer ticket n. rare = prayer card n.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > prayer > [noun] > card for reserving seat at prayers
prayer card1880
prayer ticket1924
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > procedure of parliament or national assembly > [noun] > specific method of reserving seat
prayer card1880
hat trick1886
prayer ticket1924
1924 J. E. Mills From Back Benches ii. 9 Mr. Joynson Hicks, returning..after nearly a year's absence, deposited his ‘prayer ticket’ in..Lady Astor's seat.
2005 G. Schweikert Holding World by Hand 132 When I became a mother, I realized I needed every prayer ticket I could find—and more.
prayer tower n. Islam a minaret.
ΚΠ
1870 Putnam's Mag. Mar. 333/3 By the Mohammedan prayer-tower stood only five priests, whose robes in unison formed prismatic colors,—red, green, black, violet, light blue.
1955 Herald-Press (St. Joseph, Mich.) 5 Feb. 11/1 A minaret is a small, slender prayer tower whose construction culminates in a small point.
2001 M. Suri Death of Vishnu (2002) vi. 109 She..missed the summons from the prayer tower that marked each day into regular segments.
prayer-value n. rare the worth of a particular belief for the efficacy of prayer.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > prayer > [noun] > efficacy or worth for
prayer-value1906
1906 W. R. Inge Truth & Falsehood in Relig. iv. 102 It does not satisfy those who really believe in the supernatural occurrences, which it is proposed to maintain in consideration of their ‘prayer-value’.
1990 N. Sagovsky On God's Side xii. 172 He works through the doctrines of the creed, showing how they are a lex orandi, with a ‘prayer-value’ for the sanctification of souls.
prayer wall n. Buddhism (esp. in Tibet) a wall on which prayers are inscribed; = mani wall at mani n.2
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > land > structures of or in land > [noun] > prayer-wall
mani1818
mendang1854
prayer wall1872
Wailing Wall1878
Western Wall1899
1872 Chambers's Encycl. VII. 68/2 When adorning the head of religious books, or when engraved upon the slabs resting on the prayer-walls, the letters of the formula are often so combined as to form an anagram.
1938 Folk-lore 49 383 On the 15th day of the 1st month, males and females circumambulate prayer walls and monasteries in order to obtain merit.
2002 K. Jamie Among Muslims v. 159 And there's the mani walls. You'd notice them, either side of Askole... Buddhist prayer walls.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2007; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
prayern.2
/ˈpreɪə/, U.S. /ˈpreɪər/ A person who entreats or prays (frequently with modifying adjective); spec. a person who leads the prayers in a church service.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > prayer > [noun] > one who performs
beadsman?c1225
prayera1382
offerer1526
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) Prov. xxviii. 27 Who despiseþ þe preyere lowly [a1425 L.V. a pore man bisechynge; L. deprecantam] shal suffren scarsnesse.
?a1425 (a1415) Lanterne of Liȝt (Harl.) (1917) 50 (MED) Preiers þat ben in Cristis chirche priien wiþ deuocioun, wiþ al þe strengþe of her herte.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. lx The true prayers woll worshyppe the father of heuyn in spyrite: and with trouthe.
1565 R. Shacklock tr. S. Hozjusz Hatchet of Heresies 316 For some be called..Orantes, that is to say, Prayars.
1642 R. Harris Serm. preached to House of Commons 13 A good Engineere is not the worst Souldier; nor a good prayer the worst Parliament-man.
?1706 E. Hickeringill Priest-craft: 2nd Pt. viii. 78 The Women Prayers amongst the Quakers.
1843 E. Jones Sens. & Event in Poems (1877) 36 And still that earnest pray-er.
1863 J. W. Carlyle Lett. (1883) III. 162 Anything they can say about..this and the other preacher and pray-er.
1909 Daily Chron. 1 Feb. 4/6 There might be left the Napoleonic prayer who loved a fog, and solitude.
1957 ‘F. O'Connor’ Domestic Relations 148 I'm a fierce pray-er.
2004 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Oct. 212/2 Rubin..hired a ‘professional pray-er, a woman in New York who was a Christian who had some kind of powerful ability’.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2007; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
<
n.1c1300
n.2a1382- monstrance
- monstrance of right
- monstrances
- monstrant
- monstrate
- monstration
- monstrative
- monstrator
- monstre
- monstre sacré
- monstricide
- monstriferous
- monstrification
- monstrify
- monstrison
- monstro
- monstrosities
- monstrosity
- monstrous
- monstrous craw
- monstrous pippin
- monstrous reinette
- monstrous-kinded
- monstrouser
- monstrousest