reverence
/ˈrɛv(ə)r(ə)ns
/noun [mass noun]
1Deep respect for someone or something: rituals showed honour and reverence for the dead...
- These words reflect the great reverence, respect and love that the Prophet always showed towards animals.
- Respect, honour and reverence for the Lord are the beginning of wisdom; those who act accordingly have a good understanding.
- Punchithaya's tryst with art stems from his admiration and deep reverence for Nature.
Synonyms
high esteem, high regard, great respect, acclaim, admiration, approbation, approval, appreciation, estimation, favour, recognition;
worship, veneration, awe, homage, adoration, deference, honour, praise;
liking, affection, love;
Roman Catholic Church dulia
1.1 [count noun] archaic A gesture indicative of deep respect; a bow or curtsy: the messenger made his reverence...
- When I got there in my family's carriage, Jean-Luc, my family's driver, helped me put down my baggage and I said my goodbyes to him, and he made a brief reverence and went back home.
- The large, solid iron gates opened with an ear-piercing shriek and Ithelien carried me across it swiftly; the guards made a reverence as I galloped past.
1.2 (His/Your Reverence) A title or form of address to a member of the clergy, especially a priest in Ireland: I regret, Your Reverence, that I cannot come to meet you...
- If you want to be more polite you could use His Reverence.
- An anonymous letter was later received by Jim Gahan, declaring his daughter's death served him right because of what he had been saying about ‘His Reverence.’
- Your reverence, I saw four pure black bulls who came from the four directions to fight in the palace courtyard.
verb [with object]
Regard or treat with deep respect: the many divine beings reverenced by Hindu tradition...
- All these noble qualities are to be reverenced and loved, no doubt, but what entitles them to be called beautiful?
- Instead of being regarded with panic or horror, these relics are reverenced.
- We do not know how earliest settlers viewed the forests, but the Celts deeply reverenced trees; indeed, the word ‘Druid’ is related to that for ‘oak.’
Synonyms
revere, respect, admire, think highly of, have a high opinion of, hold in high regard, esteem, hold in (high) esteem, think much of, approve of, appreciate, cherish, value, set (great) store by, prize, treasure, look up to;
worship, pay homage to, venerate, adulate, hold in awe, idolize, put on a pedestal, lionize, hero-worship, honour, love
Origin
Middle English: from Old French, from Latin reverentia, from revereri 'stand in awe of' (see revere).