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orison

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A prayer or petition, especially a formal one—used in devotional, liturgical, or meditative poetry.

Detailed Definition
“Orison” elevates “prayer” to poetic register, common in devotional and dramatic verse. It implies solemn address to the divine. The term’s Latinate softness suits meditative tone. Poets use it to frame moments of supplication, where human voice seeks grace, reinforcing themes of faith, despair, and transcendence in religious and lyrical contexts.
Example
Example in poetry:
“She whispered an orison for the lost,” in a devotional moment; In Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “He kneels and prays... / And, ready for the passage, / Commends his soul to heaven... / Now might I do it pat, now he is praying... / And so he goes to heaven”; “The orison of the poor reaches heaven first”; “His last orison was for his enemy”; “The chapel echoed with orison at dawn”; An orison needs no temple, only a sincere heart.
Additional Notes
“Orison” elevates prayer to lyrical form; in devotional or dramatic contexts (e.g., Romeo and Juliet), it frames supplication as poetic utterance, blending piety with aesthetic expression.
Also Known As
prayer supplication petition
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