The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Pray \Pray\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Prayed; p. pr. & vb. n.
   Praying.] [OE. preien, OF. preier, F. prier, L. precari,
   fr. prex, precis, a prayer, a request; akin to Skr. prach to
   ask, AS. frignan, fr[imac]nan, fricgan, G. fragen, Goth.
   fra['i]hnan. Cf. Deprecate, Imprecate, Precarious.]
   To make request with earnestness or zeal, as for something
   desired; to make entreaty or supplication; to offer prayer to
   a deity or divine being as a religious act; specifically, to
   address the Supreme Being with adoration, confession,
   supplication, and thanksgiving.
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         And to his goddess pitously he preyde.   --Chaucer.
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         When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou
         hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in
         secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall
         reward thee openly.                      --Matt. vi. 6.
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   I pray, or (by ellipsis) Pray, I beg; I request; I
      entreat you; -- used in asking a question, making a
      request, introducing a petition, etc.; as, Pray, allow me
      to go.
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            I pray, sir. why am I beaten?         --Shak.
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   Syn: To entreat; supplicate; beg; implore; invoke; beseech;
        petition.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Pray \Pray\, v. t.
   1. To address earnest request to; to supplicate; to entreat;
      to implore; to beseech.
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            And as this earl was preyed, so did he. --Chaucer.
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            We pray you . . . by ye reconciled to God. --2 Cor.
                                                  v. 20.
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   2. To ask earnestly for; to seek to obtain by supplication;
      to entreat for.
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            I know not how to pray your patience. --Shak.
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   3. To effect or accomplish by praying; as, to pray a soul out
      of purgatory. --Milman.
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   To pray in aid. (Law)
      (a) To call in as a helper one who has an interest in the
          cause. --Bacon.
      (b) A phrase often used to signify claiming the benefit of
          an argument. See under Aid. --Mozley & W.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Pray \Pray\, n. & v.
   See Pry. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

pray
    v 1: address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of
         worship; say a prayer; "pray to the Lord"
    2: call upon in supplication; entreat; "I beg you to stop!"
       [syn: beg, implore, pray]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

55 Moby Thesaurus words for "pray":
   I beg you, adjure, appeal, appeal to, apply to, ask,
   be good enough, beg, beseech, brace, call for help, call on,
   call upon, circulate a petition, clamor for, commune with God,
   conjure, crave, cry for, cry on, cry to, do, entreat, give thanks,
   have the goodness, if you please, impetrate, implore, importune,
   imprecate, invoke, kneel to, make supplication, memorialize,
   obtest, offer a prayer, petition, plead, plead for, plead with,
   please, pray do, pray over, prefer a petition, prithee,
   recite the rosary, request, return thanks, run to, say grace,
   sign a petition, solicit, sue, supplicate, will you



The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906):

PRAY, v.  To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf
of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy.