Reverence

How to spell reverence

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce reverence

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does reverence mean?

1. nounDeep respect mixed with awe, shown towards someone or something held to be sacred or greatly honoured.

Reverence in a sentence

• The guide spoke of the ancient temple with genuine reverence.

• His diaries reveal a quiet reverence for his old mentor.

Where does reverence come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word descends from the Latin reverentia, meaning 'awe' or 'deep respect', a noun built on the verb revereri, 'to stand in awe of' or 'to hold in great respect'. That verb joined an intensifying re- to vereri, which literally meant 'to fear' or 'to feel cautious respect for', so the original sense was a respect tinged with a kind of holy dread. English took the word from Old French reverence in the early 1300s, at first chiefly for the respect owed to God and the Church, and only later for any profound regard given to people, places, or traditions. The same vereri root quietly survives in the related words 'revere' and 'reverent', and it is that hidden Latin v-e-r at the centre that anchors the spelling. The trap for writers is the run of unstressed vowels after the stress: the middle and final syllables both reduce to a faint schwa, which is why the second 'e' and the '-ence' ending are so easily muddled.

How the word is built

• re- (intensive prefix)
• ver (from Latin vereri: to fear, stand in awe of)
• -ence (noun-forming suffix)