Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “preien” come from?

preien (Middle English) comes from Anglo-Norman preier, from Old French proiier, from Latin precor, from Latin prex, from Proto-Italic preks, from Proto-Indo-European préḱs, from Proto-Indo-European preḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥ḱneh₂.

preien (Middle English): to pray

Definitions

  1. to pray

Ancestry of “preien”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Anglo-NormanpreierAlternative form of proiier
2Old Frenchproiierto pray; to pray; to beg; to implore; to beg
3LatinprecorI beseech, beg, pray, entreat; I wish well or ill...
4Latinprexprayer; request; entreaty
5Proto-Italicpreks—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpréḱs—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpreḱ-to ask
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥ḱneh₂—

Words derived from “preien”

  • pray
  • praying
  • prayest
  • outpray
  • prayable
  • unprayable
  • prayingly
  • prayee
  • unpray
  • unpraying
  • nonpraying
  • pray tell
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥ḱneh₂ →