interjection. Short for "I pray thee", i.e. Please.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
interjection. A corruption of pray thee; ; generally used without I.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A corruption of pray thee; I pray thee.
Word Usage
"There's no reason why the rest of the country cannot play along, peppering our conversation with -- as the mayor suggested -- phrases such as "prithee" and "fie!" or, if you're at work,"