Etymologically
Log in

reverenter

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the Latin word reverenter

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
Ultimate origin
Latin revereor
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin vereor
Latin revereor
Latin reverens
Latin reverenter
From the same root
Latin verecundus ← vereor

Forms

reverenter (comparative reverentius, superlative reverentissimē)[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin reverēns (“respectful”) + -ter,[1][3] the present participle of revereor (“to stand in awe of, respect”) used as an adjective.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler names Propertius among its first sources;[5] the dictionaries quote it from Pliny the Younger's letters,[3][2] with the comparative in Tacitus and the superlative in Suetonius.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

It meant acting with deference or consideration, and also with religious awe.[1] Tacitus, in the Histories, uses the comparative reverentius of soldiers showing their commander more deference.[6][2]

In medieval Latin it was used above all of receiving a person with respect, and of the reverent handling of a saint's relics, as in Bede.[7]

Timeline

  • 57/46–12 BC – Köbler lists Propertius among its first sources.[5]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses the comparative of soldiers' deference to their commander.[6][2][5]
  • c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius uses the superlative.[2][3][5]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. With deference or consideration, respectfully.[1][3]
  2. With religious awe, reverently.[1][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  3. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  7. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Reverenter.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/reverenter. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·