piety

[pahy-i-tee] /ˈpaɪ ɪ ti/
noun, plural pieties.
1.
reverence for God or devout fulfillment of religious obligations:
a prayer full of piety.
2.
the quality or state of being pious:
saintly piety.
3.
dutiful respect or regard for parents, homeland, etc.:
filial piety.
4.
a pious act, remark, belief, or the like:
the pieties and sacrifices of an austere life.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English piete < Middle French < Latin pietās, equivalent to pi(us) + -etās, variant (after i) of -itās; see pious, -ity
Related forms
superpiety, noun, plural superpieties.
unpiety, noun, plural unpieties.
Synonyms
1. respect, veneration, awe. 2. godliness, devotion, devoutness, sanctity, holiness.
Antonyms
irreverence.
Examples from the web for piety
  • In her infancy she discovered no marks of levity, and all her inclinations were turned to piety and devotion.
  • When Maggie discovers she has healing powers, she becomes a celebrity, but she never loses her sincere piety and her virtue.
  • And then there is the indisputable connection between piety and philanthropy.
  • Clearly a labor of love, and perhaps of filial piety as well, the volume is exhaustive —an upward climb for the reader.
  • Using another piece of biblical wisdom, "piety with contentment is great gain".
  • It evokes their deepest piety and indignation.
  • Napoli has made an odd trade of her own, swapping the boundlessness of archetypal fantasy for a touch of piety.
  • Brother Jerome, who tended the pigs and hens, was known for his simplicity as well as his piety.
  • He has also left several ascetic works, full of piety and devotion.
  • Corporeal desire clashes with evangelical piety, tragedy ensues — just not in that order.
British Dictionary definitions for piety

piety

/ˈpaɪɪtɪ/
noun (pl) -ties
1.
dutiful devotion to God and observance of religious principles
2.
the quality or characteristic of being pious
3.
a pious action, saying, etc
4.
(rare) devotion and obedience to parents or superiors
Word Origin
C13 piete, from Old French, from Latin pietās piety, dutifulness, from piuspious
Word Origin and History for piety
n.

early 14c. (late 12c. as a surname), "mercy, tenderness, pity," from Old French piete "piety, faith; pity, compassion" (12c.), from Latin pietatem (nominative pietas) "dutiful conduct, sense of duty; religiousness, piety; loyalty, patriotism; faithfulness to natural ties," in Late Latin "gentleness, kindness, pity;" from pius "kind" (see pious). Meaning "piousness" attested in English from c.1600. Also see pity (n.).

piety in the Bible

Lat. pietas, properly honour and respect toward parents (1 Tim. 5:4). In Acts 17:23 the Greek verb is rendered "ye worship," as applicable to God.