reverence

reverence
    n 1: a feeling of profound respect for someone or something;
         "the fear of God"; "the Chinese reverence for the dead";
         "the French treat food with gentle reverence"; "his respect
         for the law bordered on veneration" [syn: {fear},
         {reverence}, {awe}, {veneration}]
    2: a reverent mental attitude [ant: {irreverence}]
    3: an act showing respect (especially a bow or curtsy)
    v 1: regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider
         hallowed or exalted or be in awe of; "Fear God as your
         father"; "We venerate genius" [syn: {reverence}, {fear},
         {revere}, {venerate}]
    

Reverence \Rev"er*ence\, n. [F. r['e]v['e]rence, L. reverentia.
   See {Reverent}.]
   1. Profound respect and esteem mingled with fear and
      affection, as for a holy being or place; the disposition
      to revere; veneration.
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            If thou be poor, farewell thy reverence. --Chaucer.
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            Reverence, which is the synthesis of love and fear.
                                                  --Coleridge.
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            When discords, and quarrels, and factions, are
            carried openly and audaciously, it is a sign the
            reverence of government islost.       --Bacon.
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   Note: Formerly, as in Chaucer, reverence denoted "respect"
         "honor", without awe or fear.
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   2. The act of revering; a token of respect or veneration; an
      obeisance.
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            Make twenty reverences upon receiving . . . about
            twopence.                             --Goldsmith.
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            And each of them doeth all his diligence
            To do unto the feast reverence.       --Chaucer.
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   3. That which deserves or exacts manifestations of reverence;
      reverend character; dignity; state.
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            I am forced to lay my reverence by.   --Shak.
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   4. A person entitled to be revered; -- a title applied to
      priests or other ministers with the pronouns his or your;
      sometimes poetically to a father. --Shak.
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   {Save your reverence}, {Saving your reverence}, an
      apologetical phrase for an unseemly expression made in the
      presence of a priest or clergyman.

   {Sir reverence}, a contracted form of {Save your reverence}.
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            Such a one as a man may not speak of, without he
            say. "Sir reverence."                 --Shak.
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   {To do reverence}, to show reverence or honor; to perform an
      act of reverence.
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            Now lies he there,
            And none so poor to do him reverence. --Shak.
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   Syn: Awe; honor; veneration; adoration; dread.

   Usage: {Awe}, {Reverence}, {Dread}, {Veneration}. Reverence
          is a strong sentiment of respect and esteem, sometimes
          mingled slightly with fear; as, reverence for the
          divine law. Awe is a mixed feeling of sublimity and
          dread in view of something great or terrible, sublime
          or sacred; as, awe at the divine presence. It does not
          necessarily imply love. Dread is an anxious fear in
          view of an impending evil; as, dread of punishment.
          Veneration is reverence in its strongest
          manifestations. It is the highest emotion we can
          exercise toward human beings. Exalted and noble
          objects produce reverence; terrific and threatening
          objects awaken dread; a sense of the divine presence
          fills us with awe; a union of wisdom and virtue in one
          who is advanced in years inspires us with veneration.
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Reverence \Rev"er*ence\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Reverenced}; p.
   pr. & vb. n. {Reverencing}.]
   To regard or treat with reverence; to regard with respect and
   affection mingled with fear; to venerate.
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         Let . . . the wife see that she reverence her husband.
                                                  --Eph. v. 33.
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         Those that I reverence those I fear, the wise. --Shak.
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REVERENCE, n.  The spiritual attitude of a man to a god and a dog to a
man.
    

118 Moby Thesaurus words for "reverence":
      accord respect to, admiration, admire, adoration, adore, adulation,
      apotheosis, apotheosize, appreciate, appreciation, approbation,
      approval, awe, beatification, bend, bending the knee, bob, bow,
      bowing and scraping, breathless adoration, churchgoing, co-worship,
      conformity, consideration, courtesy, crouch, cult, cultism, cultus,
      curtsy, defer to, deference, deification, deify, devotedness,
      devotion, devoutness, dipping the colors, do homage to, do service,
      duck, dulia, dutifulness, duty, entertain respect for, esteem,
      estimation, exaggerated respect, exalt, faith, faithfulness, favor,
      fealty, fear, genuflection, glorification, great respect,
      hero worship, hero-worship, high regard, hold in esteem,
      hold in reverence, homage, honor, hyperdulia, idolatry,
      idolization, idolize, inclination, kneeling, kowtow, latria,
      look up to, love of God, loyalty, making a leg, nod, obeisance,
      obsequiousness, observance, pay homage to, pietism, piety,
      piousness, presenting arms, prestige, prize, prostration, regard,
      religion, religionism, religiousness, respect, revere,
      reverential regard, salaam, salutation, salute, sanctification,
      scrape, servility, squat, standing at attention, stoop, submission,
      submissiveness, supination, theism, think highly of, think much of,
      think well of, transcendent wonder, value, venerate, veneration,
      worship, worshipfulness, worshiping