Meaning

verb address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer

verb call upon in supplication; entreat

originEtymology tree Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- Proto-Italic *preks Latin prex Latin precārī Late Latin precāre Old French proiier Anglo-Norman preierbor. Middle English preien English pray Inherited from Middle English preien, borrowed from Anglo-Norman preier, from Old French proiier, from Late Latin precāre, from Latin precārī, from prex (“request, petition, prayer”), from Proto-Italic *preks, from…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0