Obsecrations
The term comes from a Latin word which means earnest entreaty or supplication made in the name of a deity or some sacred thing. The word has often been used to designate those petitions in the Great Litany which begin with the word “By” (see BCP, p. 149).
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.