Meaning & use
orison
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Meaning
nouncountablearchaicliterary
A prayer, especially one said in a formal or solemn way.
Grammar: Countable; usually appears in literary or religious writing, often in the plural 'orisons'.
Patterns
- say an orison
- offer an orison
- one's orisons
The old priest knelt and said a quiet orison before the altar.
In the poem, the knight whispers an orison for his fallen friend.
She closed her eyes and offered a silent orison for peace.
Word forms
| plural | orisons |
|---|
Common combinations
- say an orison
- He would say an orison each morning at dawn.
- offer an orison
- They offered an orison for the safe return of the sailors.
- a silent orison
- She breathed a silent orison and stepped forward.
- morning orison
- The monks gathered for their morning orison.
Synonyms and how they differ
- prayer
- The everyday word for any address to a god; use 'prayer' in normal speech and writing.
- supplication
- A formal, humble request, often urgent; 'supplication' stresses begging, while 'orison' simply names a prayer.
- petition
- A formal request, often to a person or authority; it lacks the religious tone of 'orison'.
Word family
- orisons noun
- The plural form, meaning multiple prayers.
Commonly confused: orison or oratorio? orison or orison?
orison vs oratorio
A long musical work on a religious subject; it sounds similar but means a piece of music, not a prayer.
orison vs orison
Sometimes misspelled as 'orizion' or confused with 'horizon'; 'orison' has no 'h' and means a prayer.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'orison' correctly?
Choose one answer.
An 'orison' is a prayer, so it fits a religious setting like a congregation bowing in prayer. Option An is wrong because a request to a boss is not a prayer. Option C is wrong because an orison is not a piece of music. Option D is wrong because an orison is not a physical object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “orison”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.