Revere

How to spell revere

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce revere

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does revere mean?

1. verbTo regard someone or something with deep respect and admiration.

Revere in a sentence

• Colleagues across the firm revere her for decades of careful, honest work.

• Many readers still revere the author long after her final novel.

Where does revere come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin verb revereri, which meant 'to stand in awe of' or 'to feel deep respect mixed with fear'. It was built from the intensifying prefix re- and the verb vereri, meaning 'to fear' or 'to hold in awe', so the original sense carried a flavour of reverent dread rather than simple admiration. English took it in during the early 1600s, most likely by way of French révérer, and softened the meaning towards the warm, respectful esteem we recognise today. The same vereri root gives us 'reverence', 'reverend', and 'reverent', which is a useful memory hook: the cluster of related words all keep that single central 'e' before the final 'r'. Because the word is spelled the way it sounds in only a loose way, the trap for adults is the run of e and r letters in 're-vere', where it is tempting to add or drop a letter.

How the word is built

• re- (intensive prefix)
• vere (from Latin vereri: to stand in awe of, to fear)