oro

Oro, orare, oravi, oratum, first conjugation, built on os, oris, "mouth": to use the mouth formally.

The classical centre of gravity is the courtroom, orare causam, "to plead a case", which is where orator, oratio and oratorius all come from. The praying sense is there too and takes an accusative of the god addressed, deos orare, not a dative, which surprises English speakers. In Christian Latin the praying sense takes over completely and orare pro aliquo becomes the standard phrase, with the Benedictine ora et labora as its motto. The parenthetical oro te, "I beg you", is politeness furniture and rarely a real request.