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A short, comprehensive prayer, adapted to a particular day, occasion, or condition, and forming part of a liturgy. The noble poem on the massacres of Piedmont is strictly a collect in verse. Macaulay.

Holding a benefice in commendam; as, a commendatory bishop. Burke. Commendatory prayer (Book of Common Prayer), a prayer read over the dying. "The commendatory prayer was said for him, and, as it ended, he [William III.] died." Bp. Burnet.

neral; public; as, propertis common to all plants; the common schools; the Book of Common Prayer. Such actions as the common good requereth. Hocker. The common enemy of man. Shak.

lic breviary; the seventh and last of the canonical hours of the Western church; the last prayer of the day, to be said after sunset. The custom of godly man been to shut up the evening with a compline of prayer at nine of the night. Hammond.

Importance; moment; consequence. Let every action of concernment to begun with prayer. Jer. Taylor.

for conference. Specifically, a meeting conducted (usually) by laymen, for conference and prayer. [U. S.] -- Conference room, a room for conference and prayer, and for the pastor's less formal addresses. [U. S.]

al confession, the confession of sins made by a number of persons in common, as in public prayer. -- Westminster Confession. See Westminster Assembly, under Assembly.

A form of prayer in which public confession of sins is made.

Of or pertaining to the act of consecration; dedicatory. The consecratory prayer. Bp. Burnet.

o consumption; having the quality of consuming, or dissipating; destructive; wasting. It [prayer] is not consumptive or our time. Sharp. A long consumptive war. Addison.

Holy meditation. [Obs.] To live in prayer and contemplation. Shak.

A religious or either sex devoted to prayer and meditation, rather than to active works of charity.

Virgil was so critical in the rites of religion. that he would never have brought in such prayers as these, if they had not been agreeable to the Roman customs. Bp. Stillingfleet.

pon, to denounce; to censure. "Cries out upon abuses." Shak. -- To cry to, to call on in prayer; to implore. -- To cry you mercy, to beg your pardon. "I cry you mercy, madam; was it you" Shak.

An invocation of, or prayer for, harm or injury; malediction. Lady, you know no rules of charity, Which renders good for bad, blessings for curses. Shak.

The act of deprecating; a praying against evil; prayer that an evil may be removed or prevented; strong expression of disapprobation. Humble deprecation. Milton.

Serving to deprecate; tending to remove or avert evil by prayer; apologetic. Humble and deprecatory letters. Bacon.

on or on; as, to make a descent upon the enemy. The United Provinces . . . ordered public prayer to God, when they feared that the French and English fleets would make a descent upon their coasts. Jortin.

scheme; to lay a plan; to contrive; to consider. I thought, devised, and Pallas heard my prayer. Pope.

Act of devotedness or devoutness; manifestation of strong attachment; act of worship; prayer. "The love of public devotion." Hooker.