Bowed, without cap on, a holy man turns and prays (8)
I believe the answer is:
entreats
'prays' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both to do with communicating as well as being verbs in their -s form.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'bowed without cap on a holy man turns' is the wordplay.
'bowed' becomes 'bent' (synonyms).
'without cap' means to remove the first letter.
'on' becomes 're' (regarding).
'a holy man turns' becomes 'ats' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'bent' with its initial letter taken away is 'ent'.
'ent'+'re'+'ats'='ENTREATS'
'and' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for entreats that I've seen before include "Implores" , "Begs earnestly" , "Beseeches, pleads" , "Requests earnestly" .)