According to “The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.” Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company: the primary definition of prayer is a reverent petition, the act of making a reverent petition to God, an act of communion with God, a specially worded form used to address God, a religious observance, a fervent request, the thing requested, or the slightest chance or hope.

Digging deeper into “The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition” there is a secondary definition: one who prays. We feel that this should be the primary definition.