Etymograph

English

pray

Pray comes from Middle English preien, from Anglo-Norman preier, from Old French proiier, from Latin precor ‘to pray’, from prex.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*preḱ-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*préḱs1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*preks1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprex1‘prayer, request’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprecor1‘to pray’
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEprecāre1
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400proiier1‘to pray’
  8. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400preier1
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500preien1‘to pray’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1596pray1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English pray
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1596, Edmund Spenser, Book VI, Canto IX: “They prayd him sit, and gave him for to…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*preḱ-Wiktionary, English prayreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*préḱsWiktionary, English prayreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*preksWiktionary, English prayreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprexWiktionary, English pray‘prayer, request’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprecorWiktionary, English pray‘to pray’
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEprecāreWiktionary, English pray
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400proiierWiktionary, English pray‘to pray’
  8. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400preierWiktionary, English pray
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500preienWiktionary, English pray‘to pray’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1596prayWiktionary, English pray. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1596, Edmund Spenser, Book VI, Canto IX: “They prayd him sit, and gave him for to…”

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with pray, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- ‘to request, ask’

  • arrogant ← arrogaunt ← arrogāns ← arrogō ← rogō
  • arrogance ← arrogaunce ← arrogantia ← arrogāns ← arrogō
  • derogatory ← dērogātōrius ← dērogō ← rogō ← procō
  • prerogative ← praerogātīva ← praerogātīvus ← praerogō ← rogō
  • postulate ← postulātum ← postulātus ← postulō ← poscō
  • derogation ← derogacion ← dērogātiō ← dērogō ← rogō

through Latin prex ‘request, petition, prayer’

38 more relatives in the full family tree

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Today it means

verb To direct words, thoughts, or one's attention to a deity or any higher being, for the sake of adoration, thanks, petition for help, etc.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “pray”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- / pray