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veneror

Etymology and origin of the Latin word veneror

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*wenh₁-)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈwɛ.nɛ.rɔr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈvɛː.ne.ror][1]

Forms

veneror (present infinitive venerārī, perfect active venerātus sum); first conjugation, deponent[1] An active venerō also occurs.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from a neuter noun ⟨*venus⟩, perhaps originally “propitiatory charm”, whence Venus, with -or.[2][1] De Vaan reconstructs ⟨venus⟩ as Proto-Italic *wenos-, Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁-os (“desire”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to strive, wish, love”).[4][1] Lewis & Short compare English ⟨wish⟩.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is Plautus, of seeking a god's favour.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant originally to seek the goodwill of a god by worship, and so to worship, pray to, entreat, as in Plautus; to pay homage to rulers treated as divine, as in Nepos; to revere, venerate persons or things, as of a statue in Cicero and in Horace; and, formed anew from Venus, to have sexual intercourse.[2][7]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means to venerate, worship, honour, revere, pray to, implore.[3] English venerate (1620s) is from its participle venerātus, and it survives as Spanish venerar and French vénérer.[8][1]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of worship.[2][6]
  • c. 100–24 BC – Nepos uses it of homage to rulers.[2][6]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of reverence.[2][6]
  • 1620s – English venerate is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To worship, pray to, entreat.[2][3]
  2. To pay homage to.[2]
  3. To revere, venerate.[2][5]
  4. To have sexual intercourse.[2]

Word family

  • dēveneror

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Veneror.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/veneror. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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