Prayer
Communication with the divine. Or wishful thinking.
How We Say It
prair
Where It Comes From
Old French preiere. Latin precaria — obtained by entreaty. From precari — to entreat, pray. Related to precarious — both come from asking for something you have no right to demand. Prayer is etymologically an uncertain request.
How It's Been Used
'Thoughts and prayers' became a phrase of critique after mass shootings — shorthand for performed empathy without policy action. The phrase exposed the gap between the religious meaning (sincere petition to the divine) and its political deployment (public statement of sympathy).