Middle English Dictionary Entry
venerāble adj.
Entry Info
| Forms | venerāble adj. Also venerabel, venerabil(e. |
| Etymology | OF venerable & L venerābilis. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Worthy of worship and reverence; deserving of religious veneration [quot. c1450 may be a pun based on the name Venus]; also, a designation traditionally applied to Bede;
(b) displaying reverence, worshipful;
(c) deserving of respect and esteem.
Associated quotations
a
- c1400 PLove (Hrl 2254)33/4 : Cristes passioun…is a loueli & a venerabel passion.
- c1429 Mirror Salv.(Beeleigh)4649 : Thy [Christ’s] venerable heved with the rede stroke thai fulle angrily.
- a1450(c1405) Purvey Determ.(Trin-C B.14.50)174/131 : Venerabile Bede, lede be þe spirit of God, translatid þe Bibel.
- c1450 De CMulieribus (Add 10304)754 : Goddeys of luf callid most venerable, Venus, Quene of Paphos.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)6.97 : A grete question was movede of the observacion of Ester, seyenge that hit…was suffrede as incorrecte for the reverence of holy faders, Aidanus, Finanus…and oþer venerable faders.
- a1500(c1410) Dives & P.(Htrn 270)1.108 : Þe lawe clepyȝt ymagys venerable and wurshepeful, for þer shulde noo man dyspysyn hem ne defylyn hem.
b
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)6.409 : The body of the pope, founde by fischers, was brouȝhte to the churche of Seynte Petyr, and the ymages of seyntes ȝafe venerable salutacion to hit.
c
- (a1460) Vegetius(2) (Pmb-C 243)1543 : As for the signys maiestie, Assigne place, for more venerabil Then thei ther is nothing.