English
reverence
Reverence comes from Latin revereor ‘to stand in awe, respect, revere’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to cover, heed, notice’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-‘to cover, heed, notice’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErevereor‘to stand in awe, respect, revere’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400reverence
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1598–1599same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-‘to cover, heed, notice’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErevereor‘to stand in awe, respect, revere’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400reverence
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1598–1599same form
Earliest quotation: 1598–1599, Much Adoe about Nothing: “Thou hast so wrong'd mine innocent child and me…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to cover, heed, notice’
wear, guard, ward, con, garage, regard, warn, worm, garrison, optic, weir, beware, panorama, ware, verge, wry, prosaic, guaranty, vermin, diorama, vermilion, milliner, varmint, vermiculite, vermeil, vermicelli, 69 more
Today it means
noun Veneration; profound awe and respect, normally in a sacred context.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wer- / reverence