venerable

[ven-er-uh-buh l] /ˈvɛn ər ə bəl/
adjective
1.
commanding respect because of great age or impressive dignity; worthy of veneration or reverence, as because of high office or noble character:
a venerable member of Congress.
2.
a title for someone proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church to have attained the first degree of sanctity or of an Anglican archdeacon.
3.
(of places, buildings, etc.) hallowed by religious, historic, or other lofty associations:
the venerable halls of the abbey.
4.
impressive or interesting because of age, antique appearance, etc.:
a venerable oak tree.
5.
extremely old or obsolete; ancient:
a venerable automobile.
noun
6.
a venerable person.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English < Latin venerābilis, equivalent to venerā(rī) to venerate + -bilis -ble
Related forms
venerability, venerableness, noun
venerably, adverb
quasi-venerable, adjective
quasi-venerably, adverb
unvenerability, noun
unvenerable, adjective
unvenerableness, noun
unvenerably, adverb
Examples from the web for venerable
  • The trails will take you through mossy forests to stunning, venerable arboreal giants.
  • Turns out the venerable old chocolate maker got his start in caramel.
  • They could be seen in a venerable set of drawings provided by the collection.
  • The venerable warp drive is science fiction no longer.
  • It's a typo, venerable, not the end of western civilization.
  • It is deeply moving to feel part of something so venerable and venerated.
  • Is all of academia getting this negative, or is it the editorial staff of this venerable old paper whose tea has been poisoned.
  • The first benches are already occupied by a crowd of venerable figures muffled in robes of ermine, velvet, and scarlet cloth.
  • Her venerable body was deposited in a chapel near the hospital which she founded.
  • The same venerable author speaks of his making mats as an ordinary occupation.
British Dictionary definitions for venerable

venerable

/ˈvɛnərəbəl/
adjective
1.
(esp of a person) worthy of reverence on account of great age, religious associations, character, position, etc
2.
(of inanimate objects) hallowed or impressive on account of historical or religious association
3.
ancient: venerable tomes
4.
(RC Church) a title bestowed on a deceased person when the first stage of his canonization has been accomplished and his holiness has been recognized in a decree of the official Church
5.
(Church of England) a title given to an archdeacon
Derived Forms
venerability, venerableness, noun
venerably, adverb
Word Origin
C15: from Latin venerābilis, from venerārī to venerate
Word Origin and History for venerable
adj.

early 15c., from Latin venerabilis, from venerari "to worship, revere" (see veneration). As a title, used in reference to ecclesiastics or those who had obtained the first degree of canonization.

Encyclopedia Article for venerable

title or respectful form of address, used from very early times in Europe, especially for certain clergy or for laymen of marked spiritual merit. St. Augustine in some epistles cited the term in reference to bishops, and Philip I of France was styled venerabilis and venerandus ("reverential"). The venerable by which Saint Bede is commonly known ("the Venerable Bede," or "Bede the Venerable") survives from a contemporary practice of so addressing bishops and abbots and, posthumously, worthy clerics such as Bede.

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