prayer book

American  

[prair] / prɛər /

noun

1. a book containing formal prayers to be used in public or private religious devotions.

2. (usually initial capital letters) Book of Common Prayer.

3. Nautical. a small holystone.

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prayer book British  

/ prɛə /

noun

1. ecclesiast a book containing the prayers used at church services or recommended for private devotions

2. Church of England (often capitals) another name for Book of Common Prayer

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Etymology

Origin of prayer book

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

St Beuno, a seventh century abbot, was said to be so grateful to a curlew for rescuing his prayer book after it fell into the sea that he asked for all curlews to be protected.

From BBC • Aug. 3, 2024

Galli had been looking through the library's manuscripts from the Middle Ages to find more information about this sequence when he came across the prayer book.

From Science Daily • Nov. 1, 2023

A single Torah scroll costs upward of $30,000; a single holiday prayer book $25 to $50.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2023

He tells the officer that yes, he does have a country and shows him a prayer book that U.S. authorities neglected to confiscate long ago.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 13, 2023

But sometimes I walk by the grove and watch Lev pace with his prayer book.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper