prayer

I

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [An earnest request]

Syn. entreaty, request, intercession, thanksgiving, praise, petition; see also appeal 1 .

2. [An address to the deity]

Syn. orison, invocation, act of devotion, supplication, devotions, benediction, litany, rogation, brocho, berakah (Hebrew).

Prayers, sense 2, include: Lord's Prayer, Pater Noster, Our Father, Hail Mary, Doxology, the Jesus prayer, Trisagion, Glory Be, Ave Maria, grace at meals, Kiddush, Kaddish, shma Yisroel, amidah ( all Hebrew); matins, vespers, Angelus, Miserère, Kyrie eleison, Te Deum, collects, hours, rosary, novena, devotions, stations of the cross, evensong, compline.

II

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

pleading, petition, appeal, supplication, imploring, entreaty, request, thanksgiving, grace, benediction, worship, litany, communion with God. ''A window to heaven.''—Israel Baal Shem Tob. ''A ladder on which thoughts mount to God.''—Abraham Heschel. ''A direct approach to the throbbing heart of the universe.''—Israel Bettan.

WORD FIND

• beads: rosary enemy, prayer calling for a calamity to befall

• one’s: imprecation

• evening: vesper

• Islam call to adhan: azan

• Islam prayer mat: seggadeh

• Jewish mourning prayer: kaddish

• Jewish ‘‘standing’’ prayer: amidah

• knee, get down on one: genuflect

• meal: grace

• mosque’s prayer leader: imam

• nine day: novena

• saint’s prayer made on behalf of others: intercession

• shawl, Jewish: tallith

• sung or spoken supplications with congregational replies: litany

• synagogue’s prayer leader: cantor

• trust, to: amen

see church, clergy, religion

III

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. The act of praying: invocation, supplication. See RELIGION. 2. A formula of words used in praying: collect2, litany, orison, rogation (often used in plural). See RELIGION. 3. An earnest or urgent request: appeal, entreaty, imploration, plea, supplication. See ASK. 4. Law. An application to a higher authority, as for sanction or a decision: appeal, petition. See ASK, LAW.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun One who humbly entreats: beggar, suitor, suppliant, supplicant. See REQUEST.