Supplicacioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A humble and urgent request made to someone in authority or power
2. An earnest petition or appeal presented with reverence and respect
3. A solemn and devout entreaty addressed to a person of higher station

Etymology: Its roots lie in the Latin "supplex," meaning "kneeling in submission," formed from "sub" (under) and "plicare" (to fold). The word's physical origin is in the posture itself: a person folded down on bended knee to beg. From this came the verb "supplicare," to kneel or entreat. The Roman meaning took a surprising turn. A "supplicatio" was an official public ceremony, decreed by the Senate, in which citizens gave communal thanks to the gods after a military victory or prayed to avert a disaster. The act was collective and celebratory as often as it was pleading. The word then passed through Old French as "supplicacion" and into Middle English, where the spelling "supplicacioun" preserves that French-influenced form. English kept the sense of humble petition that the Latin root carried, and it is the sense of pleading that survives today.