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From: DICT.TW English-Chinese Dictionary 英漢字典

 prayer /ˈprær, ˈprɛr/
 祈禱,祈求,請求,懇求;禱文,禱告者,懇求者

From: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

 Pray·er n. One who prays; a supplicant.

From: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

 Prayer n.
 1. The act of praying, or of asking a favor; earnest request or entreaty; hence, a petition or memorial addressed to a court or a legislative body. “Their meek preyere.”
 2. The act of addressing supplication to a divinity, especially to the true God; the offering of adoration, confession, supplication, and thanksgiving to the Supreme Being; as, public prayer; secret prayer.
    As he is famed for mildness, peace, and prayer.   --Shak.
 3. The form of words used in praying; a formula of supplication; an expressed petition; especially, a supplication addressed to God; as, a written or extemporaneous prayer; to repeat one's prayers.
    He made those excellent prayers which were published immediately after his death.   --Bp. Fell.
 Prayer book, a book containing devotional prayers.
 Prayer meeting, a meeting or gathering for prayer to God.
 Syn: -- Petition; orison; supplication; entreaty; suit.
 

From: WordNet (r) 2.0

 prayer
      n 1: the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a
           petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving);
           "the priest sank to his knees in prayer" [syn: supplication]
      2: reverent petition to a deity [syn: petition, orison]
      3: earnest or urgent request; "an entreaty to stop the
         fighting"; "an appeal for help"; "an appeal to the public
         to keep calm" [syn: entreaty, appeal]
      4: a fixed text used in praying
      5: someone who prays to God [syn: supplicant]

From: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

 Prayer
    is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not
    in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him.
    Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant,
    ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching the Lord" (Ex.
    32:11); "pouring out the soul before the Lord" (1 Sam. 1:15);
    "praying and crying to heaven" (2 Chr. 32:20); "seeking unto God
    and making supplication" (Job 8:5); "drawing near to God" (Ps.
    73:28); "bowing the knees" (Eph. 3:14).
      Prayer presupposes a belief in the personality of God, his
    ability and willingness to hold intercourse with us, his
    personal control of all things and of all his creatures and all
    their actions.
      Acceptable prayer must be sincere (Heb. 10:22), offered with
    reverence and godly fear, with a humble sense of our own
    insignificance as creatures and of our own unworthiness as
    sinners, with earnest importunity, and with unhesitating
    submission to the divine will. Prayer must also be offered in
    the faith that God is, and is the hearer and answerer of prayer,
    and that he will fulfil his word, "Ask, and ye shall receive"
    (Matt. 7:7, 8; 21:22; Mark 11:24; John 14:13, 14), and in the
    name of Christ (16:23, 24; 15:16; Eph. 2:18; 5:20; Col. 3:17; 1
    Pet. 2:5).
      Prayer is of different kinds, secret (Matt. 6:6); social, as
    family prayers, and in social worship; and public, in the
    service of the sanctuary.
      Intercessory prayer is enjoined (Num. 6:23; Job 42:8; Isa.
    62:6; Ps. 122:6; 1 Tim. 2:1; James 5:14), and there are many
    instances on record of answers having been given to such
    prayers, e.g., of Abraham (Gen. 17:18, 20; 18:23-32; 20:7, 17,
    18), of Moses for Pharaoh (Ex. 8:12, 13, 30, 31; Ex. 9:33), for
    the Israelites (Ex. 17:11, 13; 32:11-14, 31-34; Num. 21:7, 8;
    Deut. 9:18, 19, 25), for Miriam (Num. 12:13), for Aaron (Deut.
    9:20), of Samuel (1 Sam. 7:5-12), of Solomon (1 Kings 8; 2 Chr.
    6), Elijah (1 Kings 17:20-23), Elisha (2 Kings 4:33-36), Isaiah
    (2 Kings 19), Jeremiah (42:2-10), Peter (Acts 9:40), the church
    (12:5-12), Paul (28:8).
      No rules are anywhere in Scripture laid down for the manner of
    prayer or the attitude to be assumed by the suppliant. There is
    mention made of kneeling in prayer (1 Kings 8:54; 2 Chr. 6:13;
    Ps. 95:6; Isa. 45:23; Luke 22:41; Acts 7:60; 9:40; Eph. 3:14,
    etc.); of bowing and falling prostrate (Gen. 24:26, 52; Ex.
    4:31; 12:27; Matt. 26:39; Mark 14:35, etc.); of spreading out
    the hands (1 Kings 8:22, 38, 54; Ps. 28:2; 63:4; 88:9; 1 Tim.
    2:8, etc.); and of standing (1 Sam. 1:26; 1 Kings 8:14, 55; 2
    Chr. 20:9; Mark 11:25; Luke 18:11, 13).
      If we except the "Lord's Prayer" (Matt. 6:9-13), which is,
    however, rather a model or pattern of prayer than a set prayer
    to be offered up, we have no special form of prayer for general
    use given us in Scripture.
      Prayer is frequently enjoined in Scripture (Ex. 22:23, 27; 1
    Kings 3:5; 2 Chr. 7:14; Ps. 37:4; Isa. 55:6; Joel 2:32; Ezek.
    36:37, etc.), and we have very many testimonies that it has been
    answered (Ps. 3:4; 4:1; 6:8; 18:6; 28:6; 30:2; 34:4; 118:5;
    James 5:16-18, etc.).
      "Abraham's servant prayed to God, and God directed him to the
    person who should be wife to his master's son and heir (Gen.
    24:10-20).
      "Jacob prayed to God, and God inclined the heart of his
    irritated brother, so that they met in peace and friendship
    (Gen. 32:24-30; 33:1-4).
      "Samson prayed to God, and God showed him a well where he
    quenched his burning thirst, and so lived to judge Israel (Judg.
    15:18-20).
      "David prayed, and God defeated the counsel of Ahithophel (2
    Sam. 15:31; 16:20-23; 17:14-23).
      "Daniel prayed, and God enabled him both to tell
    Nebuchadnezzar his dream and to give the interpretation of it
    (Dan. 2: 16-23).
      "Nehemiah prayed, and God inclined the heart of the king of
    Persia to grant him leave of absence to visit and rebuild
    Jerusalem (Neh. 1:11; 2:1-6).
      "Esther and Mordecai prayed, and God defeated the purpose of
    Haman, and saved the Jews from destruction (Esther 4:15-17; 6:7,
    8).
      "The believers in Jerusalem prayed, and God opened the prison
    doors and set Peter at liberty, when Herod had resolved upon his
    death (Acts 12:1-12).
      "Paul prayed that the thorn in the flesh might be removed, and
    his prayer brought a large increase of spiritual strength, while
    the thorn perhaps remained (2 Cor. 12:7-10).
      "Prayer is like the dove that Noah sent forth, which blessed
    him not only when it returned with an olive-leaf in its mouth,
    but when it never returned at all.", Robinson's Job.