reverence means veneration; profound awe and respect, normally in a sacred context. It carries an Arena rating of 1512, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, reverence ranks #1,386 of 25,264 for Qualifying, #2,592 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words, #2,737 of 14,445 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,695 of 14,340 for Most Vivid Words.
reverence is pronounced /ˈɹɛv.ə.ɹəns/.
Why “reverence” is a great word
A deep respect for something, hallowed by an element of sacred awe. From Middle English reverence, from Old French reverence, from Latin reverentia ('respect, awe'), from revereor ('to stand in awe of, respect'), combining re- (expressing intensive force) with vereor ('to fear, respect'); first recorded in English in the late 13th century. Unlike contempt, which actively scorns, or profanity, which defiles the hallowed, reverence is the protective, hushed space maintained around it. It is the bowed head in a vast cathedral, the silent hand placed upon a weathered gravestone, and the collective stillness that falls over a crowd at the shared recognition of something beyond themselves—the body’s way of whispering that some things are not for holding, but for kneeling before.
Etymology
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”).
noun
- Veneration; profound awe and respect, normally in a sacred context.“Professional hunters and trackers die too, in the pursuit of dangerous animals every year. Stones and his client voice reverence for what they call “fair chase”: an ethical distinction observed in certain sporting circles in which the quarry is felt to have a sporting chance of survival.”
- 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.”
- The state of being revered.“When discords, and quarrels, and factions, are carried openly and audaciously, it is a sign the reverence of government is lost.”
- A form of address for some members of the clergy.“Your Reverence”
- That which deserves or exacts manifestations of reverence; reverend character; dignity; state.“Thou hast so wrong'd mine innocent child and me
That I am forced to lay my reverence by.”
verb
- To show or feel reverence to.“I reverence every precept / And promise in Thy word”
Words closest in meaning
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