reverence - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Middle English reverence (noun) and reverencen (verb), from Old French reverence and Latin reverentia, from Latin revereor (“to stand in awe, respect, revere”), from re- + vereor, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to cover, heed, notice”).

• IPA(key): /ˈɹɛv.ə.ɹəns/, /ˈɹɛv.ɹəns/
• Hyphenation: rev‧er‧ence
• Rhymes: -ɛvɹəns

reverence (countable and uncountable, plural reverences)

1. Veneration; profound awe and respect, normally in a sacred context.
2. An act of showing respect, such as a bow.
   • August 2, 1758, Oliver Goldsmith, A Letter from a Traveller
     Make twenty reverences upon receiving […] about twopence.
3. The state of being revered.
   • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Seditions and Troubles”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
     When discords, and quarrels, and factions, are carried openly and audaciously, it is a sign the reverence of government is lost.
4. A form of address for some members of the clergy.
   Your Reverence
5. That which deserves or exacts manifestations of reverence; reverend character; dignity; state.
   • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
     Thou hast so wrong'd mine innocent child and me
     That I am forced to lay my reverence by.

• contempt

• blasphemy

• profanity

• disreverence

• reverencer

• reverent (a)

• reverently (adv)

• revere (v)

• save-reverence, sir-reverence, saving your reverence

• unreverence

veneration; profound awe and respect

• Bulgarian: почит (bg) f (počit), уважение (bg) n (uvaženie)
• Catalan: reverència (ca) f
• Chinese:
  Mandarin: 崇敬 (zh) (chóng jìng)
• Dutch: verering (nl), respect (nl), eerbied (nl)
• Esperanto: respektego
• Finnish: kunnioitus (fi); jumalanpelko (fear of God)
• Frisian:
  North Frisian:
  Sylt: Foriiring f, Biwunering f
  Saterland Frisian: Eerhaftigaid f, Fererenge f
  West Frisian: ferearing c, earbied c
• Galician: reverencia (gl) f
• German: Ehrfurcht (de) f, Bewunderung (de) f, Verehrung (de) f, Hochachtung (de) f
• Greek:
  Ancient Greek: ἄγος n (ágos), σέβας n (sébas)
• Gujarati: આદર m (ādar), માન (gu) m (mān)
• Hindi: आदर (hi) m (ādar), मान (hi) m (mān), अदब (hi) m (adab), सत्कार (hi) m (satkār), इज़्ज़त f (izzat)
• Irish: urramacht f, urraim f, oirmhidin f, ardmheas m, ómós m
• Italian: riverenza (it) f
• Japanese: 崇敬 (ja) (sūkei)
• Latin: reverentia m
• Low German:
  East Frisian Low German: undsağ n, fereeren n, eerachtiğkaid f
• Macedonian: по́чит m (póčit), почиту́вање n (počitúvanje)
• Norwegian:
  Bokmål: ærefrykt (no) m or f, ærbødighet (no) m or f
• Old Norse: heiðsæi
• Polish: rewerencja (pl) f
• Portuguese: deferência (pt) f, reverência (pt)
• Punjabi: ਅਦਬ (pa) m (adab), ਸਤਕਾਰ (pa) m (satkār)
• Russian: почита́ние (ru) n (počitánije), благогове́ние (ru) n (blagogovénije)
• Sanskrit: भजन (sa) n (bhajana), भक्ति (sa) f (bhakti)
• Spanish: reverencia (es) f, veneración (es) f, pleitesía (es) f
• Swedish: vördnad (sv)
• Tagalog: pakundangan
• Tocharian B: yarke, yärṣalñe
• Urdu: احترام m (ehterām)

act of showing respect

• Chinese:
  Mandarin: 尊敬 (zh) (zūn jìng)
• Finnish: kunnioituksen osoitus
• Galician: reverencia (gl) f
• German: Ehrerbietung (de) f, Reverenz (de) f
• Latin: reverentia f
• Macedonian: ревера́нс m (reveráns)
• Norwegian:
  Bokmål: akt (no) m
• Portuguese: reverência (pt) f
• Russian: реверанс (ru) m (reverans)

form of address

• Bulgarian: преподобие n (prepodobie)
• Chinese:
  Mandarin: 頭銜 / 头衔 (zh) (tóu xián), 敬稱 / 敬称 (zh) (jìng chēng)
• Finnish: pyhyys (fi), ylhäisyys (fi)
• Galician: reverencia (gl) f
• German: Reverenz (de) f
• Irish: oirmhinneach m
• Macedonian: преподо́бие n (prepodóbie)
• Norwegian:
  Bokmål: ærbødighet (no) m or f
• Russian: преподобие (ru) n (prepodobije)

reverence (third-person singular simple present reverences, present participle reverencing, simple past and past participle reverenced)

1. (transitive) To show or feel reverence to.
   Synonyms: honour, venerate
   • 2021, Bryan Fowler, Grayson Kessenich, Shane Barnard, “My Portion”, in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, Vol. 1, performed by Shane & Shane:
     I reverence every precept / And promise in Thy word

• unreverenced

reverence f (usually uncountable, plural reverences)

1. respect