 5 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
reverence
noun
1: a profound emotion inspired by a deity; "the fear of God"
[syn: {fear}, {awe}, {veneration}]
2: a reverent mental attitude [ant: {irreverence}]
verb: regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider
hallowed or exalted or be in awe of; "Fear God as your
father"; "We venerate genius" [syn: {fear}, {revere}, {venerate}]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Reverence \Rev"er*ence\, noun [F. r['e]v['e]rence, L. reverentia.
See {Reverent}.]
1. Profound respect and esteem mingled with fear and
affection, as for a holy being or place; the disposition
to revere; veneration.
If thou be poor, farewell thy reverence. --Chaucer.
Reverence, which is the synthesis of love and fear.
--Coleridge.
When discords, and quarrels, and factions, are
carried openly and audaciously, it is a sign the
reverence of government islost. --Bacon.
Note: Formerly, as in Chaucer, reverence denoted ''respect''
''honor'', without awe or fear.
2. The act of revering; a token of respect or veneration; an
obeisance.
Make twenty reverences upon receiving . . . about
twopence. --Goldsmith.
And each of them doeth all his diligence
To do unto the feast reverence. --Chaucer.
3. That which deserves or exacts manifestations of reverence;
reverend character; dignity; state.
I am forced to lay my reverence by. --Shak.
4. A person entitled to be revered; -- a title applied to
priests or other ministers with the pronouns his or your;
sometimes poetically to a father. --Shak.
{Save your reverence}, {Saving your reverence}, an
apologetical phrase for an unseemly expression made in the
presence of a priest or clergyman.
{Sir reverence}, a contracted form of {Save your reverence}.
Such a one as a man may not speak of, without he
say. ''Sir reverence.'' --Shak.
{To do reverence}, to show reverence or honor; to perform an
act of reverence.
Now lies he there,
And none so poor to do him reverence. --Shak.
Syn: Awe; honor; veneration; adoration; dread.
Usage: {Awe}, {Reverence}, {Dread}, {Veneration}. Reverence
is a strong sentiment of respect and esteem, sometimes
mingled slightly with fear; as, reverence for the
divine law. Awe is a mixed feeling of sublimity and
dread in view of something great or terrible, sublime
or sacred; as, awe at the divine presence. It does not
necessarily imply love. Dread is an anxious fear in
view of an impending evil; as, dread of punishment.
Veneration is reverence in its strongest
manifestations. It is the highest emotion we can
exercise toward human beings. Exalted and noble
objects produce reverence; terrific and threatening
objects awaken dread; a sense of the divine presence
fills us with awe; a union of wisdom and virtue in one
who is advanced in years inspires us with veneration.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Reverence \Rev"er*ence\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Reverenced}; p.
pr. & vb. n. {Reverencing}.]
To regard or treat with reverence; to regard with respect and
affection mingled with fear; to venerate.
Let . . . the wife see that she reverence her husband.
--Eph. v. 33.
Those that I reverence those I fear, the wise. --Shak.
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
118 Moby Thesaurus words for "reverence":
accord respect to, admiration, admire, adoration, adore, adulation,
apotheosis, apotheosize, appreciate, appreciation, approbation,
approval, awe, beatification, bend, bending the knee, bob, bow,
bowing and scraping, breathless adoration, churchgoing, co-worship,
conformity, consideration, courtesy, crouch, cult, cultism, cultus,
curtsy, defer to, deference, deification, deify, devotedness,
devotion, devoutness, dipping the colors, do homage to, do service,
duck, dulia, dutifulness, duty, entertain respect for, esteem,
estimation, exaggerated respect, exalt, faith, faithfulness, favor,
fealty, fear, genuflection, glorification, great respect,
hero worship, hero-worship, high regard, hold in esteem,
hold in reverence, homage, honor, hyperdulia, idolatry,
idolization, idolize, inclination, kneeling, kowtow, latria,
look up to, love of God, loyalty, making a leg, nod, obeisance,
obsequiousness, observance, pay homage to, pietism, piety,
piousness, presenting arms, prestige, prize, prostration, regard,
religion, religionism, religiousness, respect, revere,
reverential regard, salaam, salutation, salute, sanctification,
scrape, servility, squat, standing at attention, stoop, submission,
submissiveness, supination, theism, think highly of, think much of,
think well of, transcendent wonder, value, venerate, veneration,
worship, worshipfulness, worshiping
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:
REVERENCE, noun The spiritual attitude of a man to a god and a dog to a
man.
|
