English
venerate
Venerate comes from Latin venerātus ‘having worshipped, adored, revered, venerated’, from venus ‘loveliness, attractiveness, beauty, grace,…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- ‘to strive, wish, love’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wenh₁-‘to strive, wish, love’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wénh₁-os ~ *wénh₁-es-os‘loveliness’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvenus‘loveliness, attractiveness, beauty, grace, elegance, charm’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEveneror‘to worship, venerate’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvenerātus‘having worshipped, adored, revered, venerated’perfect active participle of veneror
- Englishearliest quotation 1791venerate
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wenh₁-‘to strive, wish, love’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wénh₁-os ~ *wénh₁-es-os‘loveliness’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvenus‘loveliness, attractiveness, beauty, grace, elegance, charm’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEveneror‘to worship, venerate’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvenerātus‘having worshipped, adored, revered, venerated’perfect active participle of veneror
- Englishearliest quotation 1791venerate
Earliest quotation: 1791, James Boswell, [1756]: “[…] we cannot but venerate in Johnson one of…”
first attested First attested in 1623 (as stated in the etymology)
The story
First attested in 1623; borrowed from Latin venerātus, perfect active participle of veneror (‘to worship, venerate’), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- ‘to strive, wish, love’
win, won, wish, wonder, wont, wen, venom, wynn, wean, winsome, ween, 20 more
Today it means
verb To treat with great respect and deference.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- / venerate