implore

Etymology

PIE word *h₁én The verb is borrowed from Middle French implorer (modern French implorer (“to beg, plead, implore”)), or directly from its etymon Latin implōrāre, the present active infinitive of implōrō (“to beseech, entreat, implore; to appeal to, pray to”), from im- (a variant of in- (intensifying prefix)) + plōrō (“to cry out; to complain, deplore, lament”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₃(w)- (“to flow; to swim”)). The noun is derived from the verb.

verb

1. (transitive)
   1. To beg or plead for (something) earnestly or urgently; to beseech.
      Then, Matilda, […] witnessed thy despair, received a letter from the hands of Herminia, wherein thou imploredst my assistance; that stranger is an impostor? 1810, [Sophie Ristaud] Cottin, chapter XLVIII, in [anonymous], transl., The Saracen, or Matilda and Malek Adhel, a Crusade-Romance,[…], volume II, New York, N.Y.: Isaac Riley, →OCLC, page 214
      Politically authoritative history, which discloses the constitutive ground and situation in which human beings find themselves, implores that this action be taken and not that, in order that the truth of the partially revealed and concealed God/nature not be violated. 1993, Joshua Mitchell, Not by Reason Alone: Religion, History, and Identity in Early Modern Political Thought, Chicago, Ill., London: University of Chicago Press, page 133
   2. To beg or plead that (someone) earnestly or urgently do something; to beseech, to entreat.
      Psalm 23 implores us to thank God for helping us to find contentment in the midst of a tense and stressful world, for directing our lives along pathways that are consistent with His will, for the reassurance and security that flow from His constant presence and for protection, as well as for the gift of eternal life. 1995, Colleen Birchett, Stephanie Bibb, Deborah Morton, “Relationship”, in Africans who Shaped Our Faith: Leader Guide, Chicago, Ill.: Urban Ministries, page 138
      A prayer lies bound in me / And implores a god, / And implores a name. 1989, Kadia Molodowsky, Kathryn Hellerstein, transl. and editor, “Kheshvndike Nekht (Nights of Heshvan), Vilna, 1927: Prayer II”, in פאפירענע בריקן: געקליבענע לידער [Paper Bridges: Selected Poems of Kadya Molodowsky], Detroit, Mich.: Wayne State University Press, published 1999, page 147
      I implore you not to allow prison to rob you of your dream or vision, nor of your dignity or self-worth. In all of us, there are untapped abilities. I encourage you to write that book, start that ministry, teach, study, pursue your dream. 28 October 2011, Kelly Gissendaner, Jennifer M. McBride, You Shall Not Condemn: A Story of Faith and Advocacy on Death Row, Eugene, Or.: Cascade Books, Wipf and Stock Publishers, published 2022
2. (intransitive) Often followed by for (a thing) or of (a person): to express an earnest or urgent plea.

noun

1. (obsolete, rare) An act of begging or pleading earnestly or urgently; an entreaty, an imploration or imploring, a plea.