Adjacent Words

Reverend definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

REV'EREND, a. [L. reverendus.]
1. Worthy of reverence; entitled to respect mingled with fear and affection; as reverend and gracious senators.
A reverend sire among them came.
[This epithet is, I believe, never applied to the Supreme Being, or to his laws or institutions. In lieu of it we use venerable.]
2. A title of respect given to the clergy or ecclesiastics. We style a clergyman reverend; a bishop is styled right reverend; an archbishop most reverend. The religious in catholic countries, are styled reverend fathers; abbesses, prioresses, etc. reverend mothers. In Scotland, as in the United States, the clergy are individually styled reverend. A synod is styled very reverend, and the general assembly venerable.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: worthy of adoration or reverence [syn: reverend, sublime] n
1: a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church [syn: clergyman, reverend, man of the cloth] [ant: layman, layperson, secular]
2: a title of respect for a clergyman

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin reverendus, gerundive of revereri Date: 15th century 1. worthy of reverence ; revered 2. a. of or relating to the clergy b. being a member of the clergy — used as a title <the Reverend Mr. Doe> <the Reverend John Doe> <the Reverend Mrs. Jane Doe> II. noun Date: 1608 a member of the clergy — sometimes used in plural as a title

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. (esp. as the title of a clergyman) deserving reverence. --n. colloq. a clergyman. Phrases and idioms: Most Reverend the title of an archbishop or an Irish Roman Catholic bishop. Reverend Mother the title of the Mother Superior of a convent. Right Reverend the title of a bishop. Very Reverend the title of a dean etc. Etymology: ME f. OF reverend or L reverendus gerundive of revereri: see REVERE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reverend Rev"er*end, a. [F. r['e]v['e]rend, L. reverendus, fr. revereri. See Revere.] Worthy of reverence; entitled to respect mingled with fear and affection; venerable. A reverend sire among them came. --Milton. They must give good example and reverend deportment in the face of their children. --Jer. Taylor. Note: This word is commonly given as a title of respect to ecclesiastics. A clergyman is styled the reverend; a dean, the very reverend; a bishop, the right reverend; an archbishop, the most reverend.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Reverend is a title used before the name or rank of an officially appointed religious leader. The abbreviation Rev or Revd is also used. The service was led by the Reverend Jim Simons. N-TITLE: oft the N n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Venerable.

Moby Thesaurus

august, awe-inspiring, awesome, awful, churchman, cleric, clerk, creditable, divine, dreadful, ecclesiastic, esteemed, estimable, held in esteem, highly esteemed, highly regarded, highly reputed, highly respectable, honorable, honored, in favor, in good odor, in high favor, meritorious, minister, noble, patriarchal, preacher, prestigious, reputable, respectable, respected, revered, reverential, time-honored, venerable, venerated, well-thought-of, worshipful, worthy