Where does “reverend” come from?
Reverend comes from Middle French révérend, derived from Latin reverendus (worthy of reverence), from Latin revereor (to revere), formed with the prefix Latin re- and a root traced to Proto-Italic wre and ultimately Proto-Indo-European wer-.
reverend (English): worthy of reverence or respect; reverent; A...
Definitions
- worthy of reverence or respect; reverent; A...
Ancestry of “reverend”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | révérend | — |
| 2 | Latin | reverendus | That is to be respected |
| 3 | Latin | revereor | to stand in awe (of), regard, respect, honor, reverence, revere |
| 4 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 5 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 6 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |