Reverents

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals who show deep respect or veneration for something sacred or important
2. People who express profound admiration or honor towards a revered object or idea
3. Those who uphold and demonstrate pious regard for traditions, beliefs, or figures held in high esteem

Etymology: "Reverents" is the plural of "reverent," so the noun is simply a plural of the adjective-turned-noun form, not a separate word. The adjective "reverent" entered English in the late 1300s, borrowed from Old French "reverent," which came from Latin "reverentem," the present participle of "revereri," meaning "to stand in awe of" or "to fear respectfully." The Latin verb is built from "re-," meaning "again" or "back," and "vereri," meaning "to fear" or "to respect," so the root sense carries a notion of standing back in awe. Used as a noun, "reverents" is rare and mostly a poetic or archaic-leaning usage, which is why it sounds less familiar than "worshippers" or "devotees." The plural pattern follows regular English nominalization, where an adjective used as a noun takes "-s" to denote a group of people, as with "the faithful" or "the poor," though "reverents" itself is a more ad hoc formation.

Synonyms: worshippers, devotees