révérer

Forms

révérer^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin revereor (“to fear with respect, respect”), formed from re-, here intensive, and vereor (“to fear, respect”).^[2][3][4][5] Rey traces the Latin verb to Proto-Indo-European *wer-, also seen in Old Norse varr (“wary”) and Ancient Greek ὁράω (horáō, “to see”).^[3]

Bloch and Wartburg group it with the earlier learned borrowings révérence (about 1155) and révérend (13th century), from Latin reverentia and reverendus.^[6] Littré compares Italian riverire.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1404, in the Journal of Nicolas de Baye, meaning to treat with deep respect.^[2][8][6]

Semantic evolution

Its use was once wide: Furetière (1690) lists parents, superiors, magistrates, the old and the worthy, holy things, relics, laws and the great monuments of antiquity as things one révère.^[3] The GLLF dates its use for what is sacred to 1559, in Amyot.^[8] Under pressure from respecter and vénérer, it is now mainly literary.^[3][8] The past participle is used as an adjective, as in un maître révéré.^[9][2]

English revere (1660s) was taken from the French verb.^[10]

Timeline

• 1404 – Nicolas de Baye uses it in his Journal.^[2][8]
• 1539 – Estienne glosses reverer as avoir en reverence.^[11]
• 1559 – Amyot uses it of sacred things.^[8]
• 1690 – Furetière describes its wide range of objects.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. (literary) To revere, treat with deep respect and veneration: révérer ses ancêtres.^[2][9][1]
2. To honour as holy, révérer les saints.^[9][8]

Related words

• révérence
• révérend
• irrévérent
• Latin revereor
• English revere

Usage notes

The ⟨é⟩ of the second syllable becomes ⟨è⟩ before a silent syllable (je révère), except, in Littré's time, in the future and conditional (je révérerai).^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 355a
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
11. ^ Godefroy, Frédéric (1881–1902), Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle, 10 vols., Paris: Vieweg / Bouillon, p. 10, 571