Etymologically
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reverenter

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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